Wrestle While You Work
by NatashaS
Summary: COMPLETE Post S7 Buffy goes out looking for a job, but when she finally gets one, the terms are slightly out of the ordinary - is the supernatural at work? Meanwhile, Xander and Anya run off to get married in Vegas. But how will the gang react?
1. Default Chapter

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer - it all belongs to Joss Whedon.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: For those of you that don't know, this is a third entry in a series of stories. . .but before you click that 'back' button, please do give this a chance, I will explain all now, and then I hope you can enjoy my story. After all, Xander and Anya get married, and Buffy and Spike are finally together - woo! At the moment, it may seem centred around my first two stories, but by the next chapter the main plot will begin.  
  
Previously, on Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Anya and Spike were brought back to life by some divine force (OK, so they were my two favourite characters, and they both got killed off, I wanted them in my fan-fics for my version of Season 8. There.).  
  
Buffy, Willow, Xander, Dawn and Kennedy moved to San Francisco (by the way, those of you who hate Kennedy, I've totally re-written her character for my fics, and I have a plan in the works anyway. . .)  
  
The two resurrected ones found the rest of the gang (with Angel's help).  
  
Buffy told Spike she loved him, but she needed some time and space.  
  
Anya was in love with Xander, and she wanted to confess her feelings, but as soon as he referred to them as friends, she backed out (little did she know, he felt the same way, but was too scared to tell her. . .)  
  
***  
  
The gang worked together for the first time in a while when Anya (mistakenly and in a drunken stupor) led a witch hunter to their home, and he stunned Willow, giving her only 24 hours to live.  
  
This made them perform a spell, where they all delivered touching speeches about the witch (including some of their own true feelings for one another coming through. . .)  
  
Tara's soul was brought back in Kennedy's body temporarily, so that Willow could be kissed by her true love (another part of the spell) but instead, the two souls combined, which was the real way to bring Willow back to normal.  
  
Buffy and Spike finally gave in to their passions, kissing, and that led to something else. . .  
  
Xander told Anya he didn't want to spend another moment apart from her, and he proposed. . .and decided they'd get married in Las Vegas right away!  
  
DEDICATIONS: Again, to my closest friends in the world in Platoon 6, but also to my dear Les Mis obsessed friend Jo (who introduced me to this website) and also Jess, (Laura's twin sis) who I failed to mention before. I love you really, Jess. . .  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Buffy awoke at 9 o'clock out of habit, and like she did every morning turned around to get up. But instead of finding the edge of her bed, she found Spike lying there asleep.  
  
And then all the events of the previous night came back to her.  
  
Willow. . .the witch hunters. . .the spell. . .and her and Spike. As peculiar as it might've been, that among all the chaos had left the biggest impact on her. For the first time, they had kissed when they were both human. And it had been stronger than any other kiss she had experienced with anybody. And what followed the kiss. . .well, that's what led Spike to be lying there naked next to her right then. That had been an unbelievable connection for her.  
  
Now she couldn't stop smiling, because she knew he'd stay here by her side, and she would receive more of the happiness she had received the night before.  
  
Looking at Spike's sleeping body, she just wanted to lean down and kiss him passionately, but restrained herself because she was enjoying this quiet sleeping - and admittedly very fit - body too much.  
  
But despite her mental tug-of-war, he stirred and woke up on his own, opening his eyes. The first thing he caught sight of was Buffy looking at him, and he smiled wider than ever. He sat up and said:  
  
'Well, good morning pet.'  
  
Her eyes twinkled as she replied 'Good morning', and before she could control herself had leant towards him and kissed him. He reciprocated, and it didn't lack any of the passion from the night before.  
  
Buffy wasn't sure how long the kiss had lasted, but however long it was, it was too short. She needed more. . .it was as if she were addicted to him. He took her hand in his.  
  
'Did you sleep well?' She glanced over at the clock.  
  
'For the 4 hours that I did sleep, yeah. How about you?'  
  
'My dreams were full of you,' he said sweetly. 'I slept perfectly.'  
  
They were silent for a moment, just smiling at each other, and then-  
  
'I'm gonna go take a shower,' she said reluctantly. It had taken a lot of willpower for her to say that, because she never wanted to leave that bed.  
  
'Can I join you?' he asked slyly. She smiled and teased:  
  
'My, my, someone's feisty this morning.' She was clinging to her bed sheet as she stood up, but when he got up, he left his on the bed, wrapping his arms around her. She jumped, surprised, dropping the sheet covering her, as they both stood naked in the middle of the room.  
  
'Hey, that was intentional!' she complained with fake annoyance.  
  
'Of course it was, would you believe me if I said it was accidental?'  
  
She laughed. 'Come on,' she grabbed his hand and they ran into the bathroom, locking the door behind them.  
  
**********  
  
An hour and a half later, Kennedy and Willow woke up simultaneously and were both extremely tired.  
  
'Ah man, I feel as if I've got the biggest hangover of my life!' Willow moaned.  
  
'After-effects of the spell,' Kennedy explained. 'At least that's what I think, I'm no witch.'  
  
'Hey,' Willow turned to Kennedy and began stroking her arm. 'Are you OK after all that stuff yesterday? I mean, we didn't really get the chance to talk much, except for the brief explanation of the spell you guys did.'  
  
Kennedy smiled weakly. 'Y'know, I have to be honest with you. When I overheard the conversation the rest of the gang were having, I thought that if you managed to be saved, we couldn't get through it. I thought Tara would forever occupy your heart, and there was not space for me there.'  
  
Willow looked anxious. 'Oh, G-d, no Kennedy, don't think-  
  
'No, it's OK!' Kennedy assured. 'Of course there'd always be a place for Tara in your heart. But the spell made me realise that now, you really do care about me too.'  
  
Willow sat up and looked serious, but her face was calm. 'Of course! I lost Tara; I couldn't stand to lose you too! You give me strength Kennedy; I couldn't go on without you.'  
  
Willow leant over and kissed her girlfriend, and followed it up with a hug.  
  
'Let's go downstairs and see if everyone else is up,' said Kennedy as she broke away from the hug.  
  
**********  
  
For some reason, as soon as Buffy and Spike left the shower, they had the inspiration to cook a massive breakfast for everyone. So when Willow and Kennedy finally came down the stairs, awaiting them was a table full of 3 kinds of eggs, waffles, pancakes and toast, accompanied with jars of peanut butter, assorted jelly flavours, butter and maple syrup.  
  
'Oh my G-d!' Willow exclaimed. 'What is this?'  
  
Buffy and Spike turned around from the stove where they were making the last set of pancakes. 'Just a little celebratory breakfast,' Buffy said.  
  
'Aw, that's so nice!' Willow exclaimed again. 'I really wanna get into this, but I think we should wait for Dawnie and Anya to get up. Hey, Xander should join us!'  
  
'We called his place, but no one answered,' Buffy explained.  
  
'I would've thought he'd spend the night here,' Kennedy thought aloud.  
  
'We don't know,' Spike began to explain. 'You guys were the first to up, Buffy and I went after that - I don't know what happened to Xander, Anya or Nibblet afterward.'  
  
They shrugged in response just as Dawn came down the stairs in her pyjamas. 'Morning guys!' she said brightly. 'Wow! Amazing breakfast!' She rushed the last few steps in anticipation to reach the food.  
  
'Dawn. . .' Buffy said warningly.  
  
'What?!' she said in annoyance.  
  
'Anyone ever taught you that you should wait 'til everyone's present before eating?'  
  
Dawn looked around and shrugged. 'We're all here.'  
  
'Dawn, what about Xander and Anya?' Willow pointed out. Dawn looked confused.  
  
'Didn't you guys see their note?'  
  
Buffy made a quizzical face. 'What note?'  
  
Dawn walked over to the fridge and removed a note pinned to it with a magnet. She waved it in the air showing everybody and then read from it slowly:  
  
'Dear all, we'll be back soon. Don't worry, no demons have kidnapped us. Xander and Anya.' Dawn pinned the note back on the fridge, and Buffy walked over to see it for herself. She asked in a concerned voice:  
  
'Dawn, when did you see this note?'  
  
Dawn screwed up her face to remember. 'Last night. . .all of you had gone to bed. I went to brush my teeth again before going to sleep. After that, I came to get a drink of water and saw this note.'  
  
Everyone was silent for a beat.  
  
'So,' Kennedy began, 'they left - just like that?'  
  
'They must've made a quick decision about something,' Spike said.  
  
'But is that really like either of them?' said Buffy. 'To take off like that?'  
  
'Of course it is!' said Willow. 'Remember Xander after graduation? And Anya in general?'  
  
'I guess. . .but still, where could they have gone to at that hour in the morning?' There was another beat. 'Where are they?!'  
  
Nobody knew.  
  
**********  
  
Xander and Anya stood in the waiting room of the 'Lucky in Lurve' Las Vegas wedding chapel. They had caught a flight straight away to Las Vegas, and arrived there with no luggage. They had bought a return ticket to San Francisco for that late afternoon, so they knew they had to finish quickly.  
  
Anya was extremely nervous, sitting in silence, while Xander was pacing up and down.  
  
'I'm getting married. . .' he was saying in different voices and word pronunciations, as if trying to figure out which one sounded best. He kept repeating that phrase until-  
  
'Xander!' Anya shouted. He jumped up and screamed.  
  
'Sorry,' he apologised. 'It's just. . .my G-d Anya, we're getting married!'  
  
'Well, it's not like it the first time. . .' she said slightly bitterly, as she thought back to the day Xander had left her at the altar.  
  
'Hey, hey. . .' he took her hands in his and looked at her deeply. 'I was an idiot, OK? I was scared, I didn't wanna end up like my parents, fighting and being drunk all the time, but. . .when you died, I realised the chance I'd lost with you. I couldn't forgive myself for that!'  
  
Anya was confused. 'Then why, when I came back, did you say you were happy your "best buddy" was back?'  
  
He turned his head away, embarrassed, and he spoke to her looking at the floor. 'I was lying. I loved you. I never stopped loving you. Remember right after our wedding day, all I wanted was to start dating you again! And when we had the "I'm over you" sex, I was just hoping we could be together again. Seeing that you felt the same way about me last night. . .I thought: "I've lost her once, I won't lose her again." That's when I knew - we should get married.'  
  
She smiled genuinely, and they both leaned in and lightly kissed each other.  
  
'Harris and Jenkins?' a voice of a fat black woman in a purple sequined dress called out from the front desk. They got up hurriedly.  
  
'They're ready for you. Just some details for the marriage certificate. . .' she turned to Xander. 'Your full name sir?'  
  
'Alexander Harris,' he said. Anya coughed obviously.  
  
'I mean, Alexander LAVELLE Harris,' he said, over-pronouncing his middle name. The woman gave him a worried look.  
  
'And you ma'am?'  
  
'Anya Jenkins. Oh, and, by the way, he's taking my name.' The woman turned to Xander incredibly surprised.  
  
'Is this true?'  
  
Xander reluctantly nodded. 'We made an agreement on the plane. . .'  
  
'It's OK - you don't need to explain. . .' the she whispered to Anya: 'You've wound him around your finger, girl.' Anya nodded, agreeing.  
  
'Birth dates please. . .' the woman continued, glancing down at a sheet of paper.  
  
Xander said: 'March 11th, 1981.'  
  
'And you ma'am?'  
  
Anya wasn't sure what to say. She had a birthday. . .she just couldn't remember what it was, considering it was over a thousand years ago. She looked at Xander for help. He whispered to her:  
  
'Tell her the date you came back to life.' She smiled, and said proudly:  
  
'May 4th, 2003.'  
  
Xander slapped his forehead and the woman looked strangely at her. 'You were born a month and a half ago?' she said sarcastically. Xander quickly interrupted.  
  
'She meant 1981! Same year as me. . .' he tried to smooth it over, however the woman wasn't too convinced.  
  
She turned around, grabbed a bouquet of flowers and handed them to Anya. 'There you go. What do you wish the Elvis minister to sing when you walk down the aisle?'  
  
Xander was about to say 'Love Me Tender,' but Anya, as always, spoke first, 'Ooh! That song - "I am the walrus"!'  
  
'Sweetie. . .' Xander said slowly. 'That's a Beatles record.'  
  
'Oh. . .' Anya stopped to think for a moment. 'I know! "Blue Suede Shoes"!'  
  
The woman began writing it down, but Xander stopped her.  
  
'Wait! Honey, come on, what about something romantic, like "Love Me Tender" or "You Were Always On My Mind". Wouldn't they be more appropriate?'  
  
She seemed annoyed. 'No, that's boring! Let's have "Blue Suede Shoes", it's probably hardly ever chosen!'  
  
'Actually, that's our No. 1 choice,' said the woman. 'Well, followed closely by "Hound-dog" and "Jailhouse Rock".'  
  
Xander laughed lightly. He really did love Anya's kookiness.  
  
'One more thing,' the woman added reaching underneath the counter. 'You need to select your wedding rings,' she said, as she displayed a set of wacky and normal looking rings.  
  
'Ooh!' exclaimed Anya. 'Let's get the kinky adult ones!'  
  
Xander took a deep breath. 'Ahn, sweetie, I love you, but I draw the line at "Blue Suede Shoes" as our wedding song.'  
  
'Well fine,' she said in a childish voice, turning her back on him. 'What do you want?'  
  
He silently whispered to the woman, and she nodded, removing two rings from the case and putting them in a box.  
  
'Which ones did you get?' Anya asked bitterly.  
  
Xander opened the box he had been given and revealed 2 beautiful golden bands, and Anya's had a real diamond in it.  
  
'I was thinking we could go to the Jewelers' after and get them engraved,' Xander suggested.  
  
As tears welled up in Anya's eyes, she kissed Xander spontaneously. 'They're gorgeous! And you're getting them even though you won't be able to afford them on your pay. . .'  
  
Xander sighed. 'You have to bring that up any time you can, don't you sweetie?' She smiled, pleased with herself.  
  
'Alright,' he said. 'Let's get married.' He took her hand, and they walked to the chapel, where the introductory chords of "Blue Suede Shoes" had already begun to play.  
  
********** AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope you all like it so far. . .if you're reading this and you like it, and you haven't read my first two stories, please check them out. They're called RESURRECTED and STUNNING LOVE. And don't forget to review, I love it when people do. Nat xxx 


	2. Starting Over

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer - it all belongs to Joss Whedon.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry about the delay. . .I've been stuck with damn writer's block the past week. But here it is, chapter two, and you'll get a taster of the main plot. Please read and review!  
  
Chapter 2  
  
It was a Sunday, so everybody got to do what they wanted. Strangely, the day was mainly dedicated to romance.  
  
While Xander and Anya were of course secretly getting married, Willow and Kennedy went downtown to do some shopping together and enjoy the very appropriate good weather, and Spike and Buffy were walking in the sunshine - just being happy.  
  
Dawn had stayed home to finish off a school project, but really just made an excuse because she didn't want to interfere with any of the couples.  
  
Buffy and Spike had also brought a picnic basket full of food, and during their walk in the park found a nice piece of shade under which to eat it.  
  
'Y'know, I haven't been on a proper picnic in over a hundred years,' Spike observed.  
  
'I figured,' said Buffy. 'I wanted to do something special for our first day together.'  
  
He smiled, and appreciated every moment he was with her. His dream had finally come true.  
  
He watched her take a bite into a sandwich, and he just took in her beauty. He couldn't help but think: "what does she see in me? What does someone so beautiful, confident and strong see in me?" He needed to know.  
  
'Buffy,' he began with extreme difficulty. 'I'm going to ask you something and I want you to answer me as honestly as possible.'  
  
She looked serious. 'Sure, what is it?'  
  
He took a deep breath. 'What do you see in me, really? Because it's obvious what I see in you but. . .what did I do to deserve you?  
  
She laughed. 'Spike, you're joking right?'  
  
He was slightly offended by her reaction, and showed it with the look on his face.  
  
'God, Spike,' she put her sandwich down and looked into his eyes. 'After last night, do you really feel the need for me to answer that question?'  
  
He looked at her solemnly. 'It's just that. . .I fell in love with you three years ago Buffy. You only told me you felt the same way about me the minute before I was dust. I want to know that I can depend on you fully, because if I lose you, I won't be able to live. I just want to know what will keep you by my side.'  
  
She crawled over and sat so close to him, their bodies were in full contact.  
  
'I can't live without you either Spike. And do you know why?' She leant over and whispered in his ear so quietly: 'Because what I see in you. . .is the rest of me.'  
  
He took a deep breath and realised - this would be forever. He put his hand behind her head gently and they kissed while the world spun around.  
  
**********  
  
Later that day, Buffy and Spike had gone walking along a street full of shops, and looking for possible job opportunities for Buffy.  
  
'Hey, Buffy, here's a "help wanted" sign,' said Spike pointing to a clothes store. She turned to have a look.  
  
'No way,' she said.  
  
'Why, what's wrong with it?'  
  
She sighed, as if about to explain something very simple to a five-year-old child. 'Please, did you see those outfits? They'd have to pay me a lot to sell those.'  
  
Spike smiled. 'Look, Buffy, you're gonna have to lower your standards if you intend to find a job quickly.'  
  
'Look, I worked in a fast-food place. Never again.'  
  
He thought back to the brief time she had worked at "Doublemeat Palace" and grinned to himself.  
  
'What about Starbucks?' Spike suggested. 'They're all over the place, surely there's a job opening there?'  
  
'Green's not my colour.'  
  
'Buffy, I love you OK? But you've got be ready to accept any job you can get no matter how measly it is.'  
  
Buffy pouted. 'I know,' she said unhappily.  
  
'I mean, do you really think I enjoy being a bouncer?' Spike tried giving an example.  
  
'Bossing people around, being the tough guy. . .you love it, I'm sure.'  
  
Spike gave her an annoyed look. 'Well. . .maybe just a little.'  
  
Suddenly, Buffy stopped, looking at a window. A notice was up and the heading read: "Secretary Wanted".  
  
'Hang on,' she walked over for a closer look. She started reading from the sheet.  
  
'"If you wish to work in a successful business, this could be the job for you. Tasks include paperwork, meeting arrangements - training available, no experience required. Come inside to arrange an interview". Spike, this could be it!' Buffy exclaimed.  
  
'Shall we go inside and ask for an interview?' Spike encouraged. She nodded, excited, and they hurried through the door.  
  
What they found was an ordinary looking office, full of filing cabinets and a few cubicles, which on a working day would have been occupied by a dozen workers, but on a Sunday had no working atmosphere. It was eerily quiet until all of a sudden, a man emerged from a door at the back of the office, and Buffy jumped at the opportunity.  
  
'Hi, am I able to apply for an interview for the secretary position?' she called out to the man desperately.  
  
The man was of medium height, quite fat around the stomach, and was wearing an office suit. His brown-haired head was balding and he could've easily blended into any crowd because of his lack of distinguishing features.  
  
'Sure,' he pulled out a notepad from his inside jacket pocket along with a pen. He put the pen to paper. 'Name?'  
  
Buffy was rather surprised - she thought it would be more formal. She gave Spike a strange look, but quickly answered 'Buffy Summers.'  
  
The man made a face at the name. 'People are actually called "Buffy"?'  
  
Buffy was used to people making fun of her name, so instead tried to make a joke out of it. 'Yeah, I haven't forgiven my parents for it.'  
  
'So Buffy,' the man said, still looking at his notepad. 'How's tomorrow at 12? The office will be slightly fuller, you can get an idea of the atmosphere,' he looked up at her for confirmation.  
  
'Sure, great,' Buffy smiled sweetly, then tried to make a joke. 'That'll give me enough time to get over the hangover I'm gonna have from getting drunk tonight.'  
  
Spike's eyes widened, while the man didn't know whether to laugh or take her seriously.  
  
'She's joking,' explained Spike. 'It was a joke, wasn't it pet?' he turned to Buffy, trying to make her agree.  
  
'Oh! No, no, I wasn't being serious!' Buffy assured, shaking her head. The man smiled weakly, trying to fake a laugh, but it was obvious he wasn't impressed.  
  
'She'll see you tomorrow at 12,' said Spike, taking Buffy's hand. 'Completely without a hangover.' They both left, leaving the man entirely puzzled.  
  
'I can't believe I did that!' Buffy screamed once she was sure they were out of earshot.  
  
'You were trying to break the ice,' Spike comforted. 'Just next time, don't smash the ice and drown in the water,' Spike joked.  
  
Buffy put her arms around his waist. 'Lucky you were there to save me. . .' she continued with the metaphor.  
  
'And give you mouth to mouth?' he teased, as he kissed her. When they parted, she said: 'Come on, let's go home. Maybe Xander and Anya are back.'  
  
**********  
  
Xander and Anya, however, were still in Las Vegas, but they were on their way to the airport after going to the Jewellers' to get their rings engraved. Xander's said: "From my beloved Anya" with the date, whereas Anya's said: "I had to die and come back to get this ring". Also with the date.  
  
'I wonder how everyone's gonna react when they find out we're married,' Xander said to himself.  
  
'Oh no, you're not keeping it secret again like you did with our engagement,' Anya snapped. He smiled.  
  
'Of course not. I'm proud to have you as my wife.' He held her hand, as their cab pulled up to the terminal. Xander got out his wallet.  
  
'How much sir?' he said. The driver turned around.  
  
'It's on me. I couldn't help but overhear, you two got married today. Let it be a treat from me.'  
  
Xander smiled widely. 'Thanks, that's real nice.'  
  
'Yeah, really,' Anya piped in. 'He hardly afforded our trip here.'  
  
'Thanks again, sweetie,' said Xander half sarcastically.  
  
They got out of the car and fetched their boarding passes. As soon as they finished, Xander made a suggestion.  
  
'Hey, should we phone the gang? Maybe they're a bit worried we took off like that.'  
  
Anya made a face. 'No! They know we're fine, remember the demon note I said we should put in?'  
  
'Still, we've been gone without a sign for a while. . .' Xander got out some coins and went to a payphone, dialling the number.  
  
**********  
  
Buffy and Spike had arrived home to already find Kennedy and Willow back. They had been discussing Buffy's job opportunity, when the phone rang. Dawn happened to be the first one to answer.  
  
'Hello?'  
  
'Dawn, hey!' Xander's voice called out at the other end. 'It's Xander!'  
  
'Is Anya with you?' Dawn asked immediately.  
  
'Yeah, she's right here.'  
  
'It's Xander and Anya,' Dawn told the others, covering the speaking part of the phone. They all looked up alert. She removed her hand and continued to talk to Xander.  
  
'Where are you guys? You left without a word!'  
  
'Didn't you get our note?' Xander asked.  
  
'Yeah, but you didn't explain where you went!' Dawn complained.  
  
'It's a surprise,' said Xander. 'We'll tell you when we get back in a couple of hours.' With that, he said goodbye, and hung up the phone.  
  
'Well?' Willow asked. 'Where are they?'  
  
'They said they'd be back in a couple of hours. It's a surprise, and they're gonna tell us all then.'  
  
Buffy groaned. 'What are those two being so secretive about?'  
  
'We'll find out soon enough,' said Dawn.  
  
**********  
  
TBC. . . 


	3. Look Who's Come to Town

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer - it all belongs to Joss Whedon.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Again, sorry for the [longer] delay. . .I've been having damn end-of-term tests all week, therefore I've tried to restrict myself from using the computer, just making myself REVISE, even though I keep turning on the computer and adding stuff in. . .anyway, here's Chapter 3. Hopefully now that the holidays are coming up I'll have much more time to write more. Please review!  
  
Chapter 3  
  
The rest of that afternoon was spent in anticipation of Anya and Xander's return. Various ideas were flying around, most of which were so ridiculous that they proved as a type of entertainment.  
  
'Maybe they bought a pet!' Willow suggested. 'Like a puppy, or a hamster-  
  
'Or a bunny?' Buffy joked.  
  
They laughed. Spike tried to hold Buffy's hand, but she pulled hers away. He was confused with what she wanted, so he said:  
  
'Buffy, can I talk to you for a second?'  
  
She nodded as they stepped out into the hallway.  
  
'What's up?' she asked, oblivious to what was wrong.  
  
'Just now. . .back there,' Spike pointed to where the rest of the group were sitting. 'Why did you take your hand away?'  
  
'Oh,' she turned away for a moment. 'It's stupid really. . .I just wanna wait for everybody to be here so we can announce that we're together.'  
  
Spike made a puzzled face. 'I think our speeches from last night and the fact that I went up to your room afterwards give it away slightly.'  
  
'I know,' she touched his arm. 'That's why I said it was stupid. I just wanna make it official when everybody's here.'  
  
Spike considered for a moment. 'It's true; I'd like to see the look on Xander's face - considering he hates me.'  
  
Buffy smiled. 'Well, he'll just have to learn to love you like I love you.' She stood on her tip toes and kissed him deeply. He embraced her.  
  
'Well, hopefully, not love me exactly like you love me.'  
  
'Let's get back in there,' Buffy said, and they walked back into the dining room where they were all talking before. But just as they had walked in the room, the doorbell rang.  
  
'That must be them!' said Willow excitedly, as she ran to open the door. And sure enough, there, holding hands stood Xander and Anya.  
  
'Hey!' Willow stood back to welcome them in.  
  
'Where've you guys been?!' Dawn asked in a slightly annoyed voice. 'We've been so worried!'  
  
'And curious,' Kennedy added.  
  
'Alright, everybody,' Xander waved his hands. 'Take a seat and brace yourselves,' he looked at Anya. 'We have big news.'  
  
They all sat, and looked interestingly at them.  
  
'We're married!' Anya burst out, not able to contain herself any longer, waving her hand with the ring around. Xander nodded.  
  
'What?!' Willow said disbelievingly.  
  
'We went to Vegas and got married!' explained Xander.  
  
Nobody knew what to say, they just sat there with mouths wide open.  
  
'Oh my G-d. . .' said Buffy.  
  
'Wow!' Dawn shouted. She jumped up and hugged them both. 'I'm so happy for you guys! When did you decide to get married?'  
  
'Last night, after everyone went to bed,' Xander said.  
  
'That was. . .' Kennedy tried to think of the right word. '. . .quick.'  
  
'So. . .' Buffy still wasn't clear on what had happened. 'You two are. . .husband and wife? As in, Mr. and Mrs. Harris?'  
  
'It's actually Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins,' said Anya. 'He took my name.'  
  
'Of course. . .' Buffy said, concealing a laugh.  
  
'Yeah, I suggested a double surname for me, like Harris-Jenkins,' Xander said feebly, 'but she wouldn't have it.'  
  
'Wait. . .' Spike said. 'You two went to the airport, bought a ticket and flew to Las Vegas, went to a wedding chapel, got married, and flew back in the space of - what,' he glanced at his watch. '14 hours?'  
  
They nodded.  
  
'I applaud you,' Spike commented, clapping his hands.  
  
'This is so sudden though,' Willow said completely amazed.  
  
'Not really,' Xander reasoned. 'We were engaged before, and we were meant to get married. So I figure, we can just pretend we were engaged this whole time.'  
  
Anya had a confused face. 'Even while I was dead?'  
  
Xander giggled nervously, putting his arm around her. 'We can pretend that never happened too, sweetie.' He turned to the gang. 'So, what did we miss while we were gone?'  
  
Spike nudged Buffy, and realising what she had to say, opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Dawn.  
  
'Buffy's got a job interview tomorrow at noon to become a secretary.'  
  
'Wow, great!' Xander said. 'Good luck Buff.'  
  
'Thanks,' she said weakly. Spike urged her on with a look. 'But there's also something else.'  
  
They all looked mildly surprised.  
  
'Um,' she began. 'Last night. . .Spike and I went to talk, and well. . .we're really in love.'  
  
'We knew that,' Anya butted in rudely. 'What's the news?'  
  
Buffy looked around at them all, trying to maintain eye contact.  
  
'Well. . .I just thought I'd officially announce that. . .we're together. And also,' she turned to Spike. 'Spike, you don't know this yet but. . .I want you to move in with us.'  
  
Spike's eyes widened.  
  
'This actually works out well,' said Xander. 'Because Anya's gonna move in with me, now that we're married and all.'  
  
Spike stepped closer to Buffy. 'You really want me to move in?' he said quietly.  
  
'Absolutely,' she kissed him, and the rest of them looked on, happy to see them together (except Xander, who was quite disgusted).  
  
'I guess we should start moving Anya's stuff out and Spike's stuff in,' said Kennedy.  
  
'It's not like we have a whole lotta stuff to move in and out,' said Anya. 'We've only been alive a month and a half.'  
  
'And that makes it even easier,' said Xander.  
  
Dawn spoke: 'You guys have to admit, it's been a crazy 24 hours, hasn't it?' They all smiled darkly thinking.  
  
'Yeah,' Buffy continued. 'Someone almost died, a dead person's soul visited us, 2 people got married, 4 are moving in together, and someone got a job interview.' She sighed. 'An average day in the Summers household, huh?'  
  
They smiled as silence ruled over them.  
  
'Hey guys,' Buffy said. 'This might sound incredibly selfish on my part, but I really need someone to prep me for my interview tomorrow. . .'  
  
'Sure, I'll help you Buffy,' Willow piped in.  
  
'Yeah, me too,' Kennedy added. Xander was about to join in the fun, but Anya shushed him.  
  
'You're not spending our wedding night with her,' she said jealous.  
  
'I'd love to help you pet,' said Spike. 'I just don't know how, what with no experience in modern employment.'  
  
'Oh, don't worry Spike,' assured Willow. 'We'll give you something to do.'  
  
**********  
  
'When you said you'd give me something to do, I didn't know it would be this.'  
  
Willow and Kennedy had organised the prepping for Buffy's interview to be as close to the real thing as possible, so they asked Spike and Buffy to describe to them what the man from the office looked like, and with their description, tried to make up Spike to look like him.  
  
Willow had used magick to plump him up, and to give him balding brown hair. The suit they provided him with was one they had lying around, and now they had sat him behind a desk, with Buffy opposite. They had given her tips on how to behave and what to say, and now Spike was there to ask her the challenging questions.  
  
'Do I really have to put on an American accent?' Spike protested.  
  
'It must be as real as possible,' Willow explained, but of course the whole thing was a sham to make Spike look as stupid as they could, so she was trying very hard to stop herself from laughing.  
  
Spike skimmed the piece of paper with the questions written down, and took a deep breath, putting on the worst American accent they had ever heard.  
  
'So. . .Miss Summerrrs,' he said, exaggerating the r's. Buffy was giggling.  
  
'Look,' he said. 'You're not going to get the job if you're going to laugh in the middle of the interview!'  
  
'I know,' she covered her face with her hands. 'Sorry. . .' she lifted her head up, breathed, and feeling refreshed went on.  
  
'Yes, sir?'  
  
Spike glanced at the sheet of paper. 'What prrrevious job experrriences have you had?'  
  
'Well,' she started off very cheesy, a huge grin on her face that somewhat resembled the Buffybot. 'I have worked in a catering establishment where I often dealt with the requests of many and some of the financial sides.'  
  
Willow gave her a thumbs-up. She had told Buffy before that you always need to sweeten things, because in fact, Buffy had just said she had taken orders and given change to customers at a fast-food restaurant, but this way sounded better.  
  
'You must realise sir,' Buffy went on, 'that I am quite young and have not had many opportunities, but that makes me even more ready to embrace the challenges you will offer me in the position of secretary.'  
  
Spike was impressed. 'Wow, that was really good,' he said to Willow and Kennedy. He turned back to Buffy and took a look at the next question on the piece of paper.  
  
'And what do you feeel you have to offerrr this company indeevidualee?'  
  
'I have a very positive attitude that prepares me to tackle anything that awaits me. I feel this is a unique quality and I will be a valued employee here.'  
  
Spike was taken aback. 'Wow, your answers keep getting better and better,' he said in his normal voice. She urged him to go on.  
  
'Do you have anee medical historrree you feel we should know about?'  
  
'Yes, I've died twice,' she said unexpectedly in her cheesy smiley voice.  
  
'Buffy!' Willow moaned. 'That's not what you're meant to say!'  
  
'I know, I was just teasing,' she said casually. She straightened herself up, and in a perfect voice said: 'I have no medical history that's affected me long-term.'  
  
'Y'know,' Spike observed, 'if she answered these questions truthfully, I don't think she could apply for anything.'  
  
'Except perhaps a place in a mental home,' said Buffy, slouching and pouting.  
  
'Hey,' he reached over the desk and touched her hand. 'You'll always have us supporting you, never forget that.'  
  
She smiled, but then frowned.  
  
'What?' he asked curiously.  
  
'Spike, I appreciate what you said, I really do, but there's no way I can let you sympathise with me looking like that.'  
  
'Willow. . .' he shot her a warning look.  
  
'Yeah, I guess she's as prepared as she'll be. . .' Willow waved her hand, disappointed, and Spike went back to normal instantaneously.  
  
'I think I prefer you this way,' said Buffy. He smiled lovingly at her.  
  
All of a sudden, the doorbell rang.  
  
'Who could that be?' said Buffy curiously.  
  
'Did Anya and Xander leave?' asked Kennedy.  
  
'No, they said they'd stay in the house 'til late,' said Willow.  
  
They went to the front door, where already Dawn, Xander and Anya were. They were hesitating opening it.  
  
'Oh I'll get it!' said Buffy, throwing up her hands. She opened the door, and experienced a shock she certainly hadn't expected.  
  
There, standing at the door, one suitcase in arm - and smiling - was Faith.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: In the next chapter you'll find out why Faith is visiting the gang, and just so you know, I'm making her a really nice character, but still with her edge, kinda like she was early Season 3, and I guess end Season 7. 


	4. Return of the Frenemy

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer - it all belongs to Joss Whedon.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm on a huge high at the mo. . .I just got Buffy Season 4 as a surprise present (I've got Seasons 1-3 already) so I've been totally over the moon (so far, I've watched Hush and Something Blue from it). Happy Holidays everybody - I wish you many great presents!  
  
Chapter 4  
  
'Faith!' Buffy shouted, her voice going squeaky all of sudden.  
  
'Heya, B!' Faith put down her suitcase and hugged Buffy, who consequently raised her eyebrows, as did everyone else around them.  
  
'Faith, what are you doing here?' Buffy asked bewildered.  
  
'Nothing, I just came for a surprise visit - I wanted to see Spike and Anna, I heard they came back to life.'  
  
'Spike and ANYA,' Anya corrected.  
  
'Right - yeah,' said Faith.  
  
'Faith, you hate me,' said Spike. 'And you hardly know Anya; you only properly met her when we destroyed Sunnydale.'  
  
'She doesn't even know my name, let alone me,' muttered Anya.  
  
'Gee, first Cordelia and then Faith,' Willow whispered to Kennedy. 'If only Harmony would come too, that would complete my list of my top 3 least favourite people.'  
  
Spike, overhearing that last part said: 'Hey, careful what you wish for Red, it could happen. . .and we all know we don't want that.'  
  
'Is everything OK, Faith?' asked Buffy concerned. 'I mean, back in LA, is it all alright? Are you and Robin OK?'  
  
'Yeah, 5 by 5, everything's. . .' Faith began, and then tears welled up in her eyes. 'Oh, God, I promised myself I wouldn't make a scene. . .'  
  
Buffy reacted quickly. 'OK, Spike sweetie, take Faith's suitcase to the spare bedroom - Faith come into the dining room with me. . .'  
  
As Buffy was saying this, she made hand gestures behind her back with which she shooed away the rest of them. They happily obliged.  
  
Buffy handed Faith a tissue, and she wiped her tears.  
  
'I'm sorry, I just didn't know where else to turn!' Faith sobbed.  
  
'It's OK,' Buffy comforted, patting her arm. 'Were you in the neighbourhood?'  
  
'No, I flew in from LA,' said Faith.  
  
'Wow, that's a long way. . .' uttered Buffy under her breath.  
  
'As I said, I didn't have anywhere else to turn,' said Faith.  
  
'What about Angel and his gang?' Buffy suggested, but admittedly too late. However, this only led Faith to cry more.  
  
'He's got them all on his side. . .'  
  
'Who?' Buffy asked.  
  
'Robin!' Faith exclaimed, as if it was the most obvious thing.  
  
'Oh!' Buffy felt pretty stupid. 'What happened?'  
  
'We had a fight.'  
  
'Well, it must've been a pretty big fight if it motivated you to fly all the way here. . .'  
  
'I mean. . .' Faith looked as if she was ready to go into full "relationship-discussion" mode - which was strange, because she'd never acted like this before. 'I've never let my guard down for any guy, y'know? I've always been the one who wore the pants, and that way I never got hurt.' She paused to breathe through her tears. 'You've never seen me like this, right?'  
  
'I can't say that I have,' said Buffy uneasily.  
  
'That's because now I let myself get hurt,' explained Faith.  
  
'So. . .are you two broken up?' asked Buffy carefully.  
  
'No,' she replied. 'At least, I don't think so. He said we should just have some space from each other. I thought staying here for a while would be enough space for him - you don't mind, do you?'  
  
'Not at all,' Buffy reluctantly said. Truth was, all she wanted now was to be with Spike and her friends, concentrating on her possible job - not sitting by Faith the whole time making sure she didn't go off the edge like she was known to do.  
  
'Thanks,' said Faith genuinely. 'I could really use kicking the ass of some demon right now.'  
  
'Hey, careful,' Buffy warned, half joking, half serious. 'Remember what happened last time you enjoyed slaying too much?' Faith smiled.  
  
'Besides,' Buffy went on, 'there hasn't been a whole lotta demon action since we destroyed the Hellmouth.'  
  
'Really? Here too?' Faith seemed disappointed. 'LA's been dull as well.' There was silence for a moment, and then Faith spoke again. 'Hey, did I totally get the wrong idea when I assumed I was welcome here?'  
  
'No! No, really, you came at a perfect time, as a matter of fact. The spare room just became available.'  
  
'Yeah? How come?' Faith had stopped crying, but was now listening intently.  
  
'Well. . .Anya had it until now. Of course, now that she and Xander are MARRIED, she's moving in with him.'  
  
'Married?!' Faith looked at her disbelievingly. 'Since when?'  
  
'Since this morning. They flew to Vegas to get married and flew right back.'  
  
'Talk about spontaneous,' said Faith.  
  
'Yeah. . .I don't know whether it's a good idea or not, but I guess we'll see.'  
  
'Yeah,' Faith looked thoughtful. 'Wow, my little Xander's all grown up.'  
  
Buffy smiled. 'Hey, really, stay as long as you want Faith. Just so long as you don't go all psycho-killer on us. . .the more the merrier!'  
  
'That's sweet of you. You were always like that.' There was a pleasant silence. 'So you and I are OK?'  
  
'Of course!' Buffy eased.  
  
'It's just, we haven't had the best friendship. . .'  
  
Buffy waved her hand. 'All in the past.' Faith seemed to appreciate it.  
  
'Now, if you don't mind, it'll have to be an early night for me. I've got a job interview tomorrow.' Buffy started walking out of the dining room slowly.  
  
'Oh, good luck!' Faith called out behind her.  
  
Buffy exited the dining room and found everyone sitting in the living room, tense.  
  
'Well?' asked Willow anxiously.  
  
'Faith's gonna be hanging around here for a while, and I want you all to make her feel welcome, OK?'  
  
They nodded, as Faith came in.  
  
'Hey, can you show me where my room is? I gotta get used to this house.'  
  
'Sure,' said Buffy. 'I'm going up to bed; I'll show you on my way there.'  
  
'I'll come with you pet,' Spike said quickly.  
  
Going up the stairs, Faith observed them curiously. 'Are you two, like, together?'  
  
'Yeah, we are,' said Buffy, and Spike was pleased to notice, proudly.  
  
'Wow,' she thought as they reached the upper floor. 'Is it true that you're human now?' she asked Spike.  
  
'An "I love sunlight, garlic food and pieces of wood with pointy ends" yes,' Spike replied.  
  
'That was an artistic yes,' admired Buffy. They reached the spare bedroom.  
  
'Well, here you go,' said Buffy. As Faith opened the door, she gasped. 'That's some "spare" bedroom. Are all the other rooms this big?' Buffy nodded.  
  
Astounded, Faith went in and shut the door behind her, followed by an outburst of 'I even have my own bathroom!'  
  
Buffy and Spike went into what was now their bedroom.  
  
'Be honest,' she said. 'How's everyone reacted to Faith's surprise stay?'  
  
'I can't say they're thrilled,' Spike answered. 'But they'll learn to live with her. How long's she gonna be staying anyway?'  
  
'I dunno. A while I think. But let's forget about her now,' she put her arms around his neck and kissed him lightly. 'I have a job interview tomorrow which I'm incredibly nervous about, and I need something to calm me down.' She kissed him again, this time more intensely.  
  
'I think I can help you. . .' he said, as he showered her with passionate kisses, and they got ready to express more of the love they felt for each other.  
  
**********  
  
The next morning, despite only having her interview at noon, Buffy got up early to select an outfit. She got several things out on the bed and observed them, judging them as if she were the manager.  
  
'That one will make him think I'll sleep with him. . .' she said, tossing it back into the wardrobe. All this movement made Spike stir, and he woke up.  
  
'Buffy?' he said sleepily. 'What are you doing up?'  
  
'I'm trying to pick an outfit for my interview,' she said, not looking up from the clothes.  
  
Spike glanced at the clock. 'It's 7 in the morning! Your interview's not for another 5 hours!'  
  
'A girl's gotta be prepared,' she said, dismissing his comment.  
  
'Well, I'm working tonight, so I'll sleep a bit more. Just. . .try to keep your "picking an outfit" routine quiet.' He rolled over and went back to sleep.  
  
Buffy frowned. She needed some help choosing this outfit, and the only man in the household was asleep.  
  
She walked out of their bedroom, carefully shutting the door behind her, and stepping down the stairs. In the dining room, she found Kennedy eating some cereal.  
  
'You're up early,' said Kennedy surprised. 'Isn't your interview at noon?'  
  
'Yeah,' said Buffy. 'But I haven't picked an outfit yet.'  
  
'Ah,' she understood. 'Still, you should be well-rested.' Kennedy took another gulp of her cereal.  
  
'I am. Why are you up so early anyway?' Buffy asked curiously.  
  
'Bar opens at 8. Gotta be there at 7:30,' explained Kennedy.  
  
'What about Anya? Is she working today?'  
  
Kennedy sighed. 'She should be, but something tells me that she won't be up to it as it's the day after her wedding.'  
  
Buffy leaned against the kitchen counter. 'It's not like it was really exhausting though. A Las Vegas chapel isn't exactly my idea of a perfect wedding location.'  
  
'I have to ask,' Kennedy said, lifting her spoon in the air, 'because I haven't known Xander and Anya that long - is this a good or a bad thing? Willow seems to be really cold about it.'  
  
'Well,' Buffy thought how she could put it into words. 'They got together strangely, and their relationship was never the most functional - but deep down I think they really do love each other and will make it work. Anya's demands just need to be toned down, that's all. As for Willow's coldness. . .Xander's her best friend. She wants the best for him, and I guess she feels that he's thrown himself into this without thinking about the future.' She paused. 'Or maybe she's just mad she wasn't at the wedding, either way.'  
  
Kennedy smiled. 'Y'know, it's good when you live with your girlfriend's best friends. If you ever need her explained. . .'  
  
'. . .just turn to us?' Buffy finished off. Kennedy nodded.  
  
'Yeah, it's good to have another Slayer around - one that's not Faith I mean.'  
  
'Yeah - what's her deal? I thought she was gonna stay in LA with that principal guy. Anyway, didn't she used to be evil?'  
  
Buffy laughed darkly. 'Yep - there was a time when we wanted to kill each other, but I trust her now - that's why I'm letting her stay here as long as she needs. She and "principal guy" are having problems.'  
  
'That's so weird though,' said Kennedy finishing her cereal. 'After that apocalypse, I swear she never wanted to see any of us again. And also. . .I never got a chance to discuss this with you. . .an evil Slayer?'  
  
Buffy nodded knowingly, remembering all the events that led up to her Graduation Day. It sent a chill down her spine.  
  
'But I guess it was lucky that you were there too,' Kennedy went on. 'Because if she had been the only one, nothing would've stopped the evil, and the world would've been doomed.'  
  
Buffy was surprised - someone like the council would have surely stopped Faith eventually - but she'd never fully thought about it. Kennedy was quite right. It was lucky she'd been there to stop Faith.  
  
'I'd better be off to work,' said Kennedy. 'I'll see you later. And good luck with the interview!' She rushed towards the door, but Buffy stopped her.  
  
'Kennedy?'  
  
She turned around. 'Yeah?'  
  
'I'm glad we talked.'  
  
She smiled. 'Me too.' She hurried out the door to work.  
  
Buffy was left there, with a lot of things to think about that Kennedy had put into her head, as well as what she was going to wear to her interview.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: Coming up. . .Buffy's interview, and she gets asked a very strange question by her employer. . .followed by an even stranger request. . . 


	5. Not So Decent Proposal

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer - it all belongs to Joss Whedon.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Merry Xmas to all! A special shout-out to those of you out there having a really sucky/dull one, just like I am with my mother trying to break the record for sleeping the most hours in a day and my father channel hopping in the other room. There is really no good Xmas TV on this year! Oh well, all the more time dedicated to my fan fic writing.happy holidays!  
  
Chapter 5  
  
After much tough deciding, Buffy had managed to select an outfit. In that time, Dawn had woken up and gone to school; Willow had woken up, tried to help Buffy out, but frustrated her even more because they had contradicting opinions. Spike had woken up, attempted to lure Buffy back to bed (but to no avail) and Faith. . .slept.  
  
Through everything that was happening, Buffy didn't realise that 11:30 had struck, and she needed to be on her way if she was going to get to the interview on time.  
  
Not much was going on around the house. Willow was lying on the couch reading the paper that got delivered to their door every day, Spike was doing some stretches and exercises (topless) that were required to be done every day in his profession of a bouncer, and Faith. . .was still asleep.  
  
Willow looked up from her newspaper at Buffy. 'Shouldn't you be off to your interview now?'  
  
Buffy shushed her, as she watched Spike doing his stretches. Willow laughed silently, and went back to her paper.  
  
Suddenly, Buffy had a thought. 'Spike, you know you're human now?'  
  
'Yes - what of it?' he said through his exercising.  
  
'Well. . .how come you still have the super-strength?' she pointed out.  
  
Spike scoffed. 'Please. . .I hardly got a boost on my strength when I became a vampire. I was already like this.' He continued with some stretches. Buffy turned to Willow with raised eyebrows.  
  
'You do know he's exaggerating, right?' Willow checked.  
  
'Hey, I don't care, I've got this now,' said Buffy, pointing at Spike's body.  
  
To everyone's surprise, Faith clambered down the stairs, wearing a leotard with jogging bottoms, and a sweater around her waist. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she was dripping with sweat.  
  
'Good morning,' she said as she made for the fridge.  
  
The other three glared on in silence for a moment.  
  
'Uh, Faith?' Buffy said. 'What's with the look?'  
  
'What? Oh, this!' she said, taking a swig of milk from the carton. 'Yeah - I work out 3 hours every morning.'  
  
Buffy stared at her amazed. 'Oh, wow. . .' she paused. 'Why?'  
  
'A Slayer's gotta keep fit B! Surely you know that?'  
  
'Yeah, of course. . .' Buffy said unconvincingly.  
  
'Anyway, don't you have that interview now?'  
  
Buffy looked at her watch. 'Oh, God, I'm gonna be late! Spike can you drive me?'  
  
He sighed. 'Yeah, I'll drive you.' He continued jokingly: 'Shouldn't you learn to how to drive on your own so you don't have to interrupt your boyfriend from his business?'  
  
'Oh, so you're my boyfriend now?' she said, continuing the joke with a smile, as she grabbed her purse and he put on his shirt.  
  
'Well, what else can I be, your bitch?'  
  
'If you're lucky. . .' she winked at him, and he laughed as they walked out the door.  
  
Faith and Willow were left alone sharing a very awkward moment. Ever since Faith had taken away Xander's virginity, Willow had disliked her. Unlike Buffy, Willow didn't really believe that Faith could be good and she held an eternal grudge against her.  
  
'Anything interesting in the paper?' Faith asked behind the kitchen counter.  
  
Willow was flicking through the sports section. She frowned.  
  
'The Kings lost another game!' she wailed.  
  
'Oh man!' Faith slammed her fist on the counter.  
  
Willow was surprised. 'You're a Kings fan? Not a Lakers fan?'  
  
'Been a Kings fan since they were known as the Kansas City Kings. But they've been having such a bad season!'  
  
Willow got into the conversation. 'I know! What has happened to Webber and Stojakovic?!'  
  
Faith ran over to the couch right by Willow. 'Yeah - before, those two would pull 'em right out of trouble, but it's not working anymore! They need to step it up!'  
  
'Exactly! That's what I've been saying!' Willow exclaimed. She stopped and smiled.  
  
Maybe she and Faith would have something to talk about.  
  
**********  
  
Spike pulled up and parked the car right in front of the office. Buffy undid her seatbelt, and was about to open the car door when Spike stopped her.  
  
'Do you want me to wait for you?' he asked.  
  
'If it's not too much trouble. . .' she smiled. 'Thanks for being so supportive.'  
  
'I always have been.' He leant over and kissed her.  
  
'Y'know, that really did help me calm my nerves,' said Buffy.  
  
'Anytime. . .' they were quiet for a minute.  
  
'Well, come on! Go! Good luck!' he urged her, and she exited the car, going straight into the building.  
  
As she entered, all the cubicles and filing cabinets were still there - except the atmosphere was even creepier than it had been the day before when it was empty.  
  
All the people were sitting, typing, looking busy. But it wasn't a hard- working place. It all seemed so mechanical - as if the people were robots. . .  
  
'Buffy Summers!' The fat balding man came out of his office like he had done the day before. 'Right on time! If you'd care to step into my office. . .' She walked towards him, and went through the door.  
  
The office was medium-sized with a desk and two chairs facing each other - nothing out of the ordinary there.  
  
'Please take a seat,' he offered her one of the chairs, and he went to sit on the other one. Buffy had Willow's tips flying through her head - "sit up straight, smile, be polite, compliment whatever you can. . ."  
  
'You have a lovely office,' Buffy said. 'Very cosy. . .'  
  
Buffy handed the man her CV, which Willow had helped her prepare the night before.  
  
'This is my CV,' she said. 'If you'd like to look at it. . .'  
  
The man took the CV, glanced at it briefly, and then, strangely, threw it in the trash can. Buffy was surprised, but tried to hide her reaction.  
  
'So Miss Summers. . .are you a quick learner?'  
  
Willow had prepared her for questions like this. 'I am enthusiastic, so I believe I am a fast learner, yes.'  
  
'Well, it actually doesn't matter. . .' Buffy frowned while the man looked away, but as soon as he looked up at her, she smiled again.  
  
'Listen. . .can you fight?'  
  
Willow hadn't prepared her for questions like that.  
  
'Excuse me?'  
  
'What am I saying? Of course you can't. . .look at you! You're tiny!'  
  
'Why is it important. . .' Buffy remembered she had to remain polite, '. . .sir?'  
  
He sunk down and whispered. 'Look, if you can fight. . .well. . .I'll give you this job without a second thought.'  
  
'I can fight,' Buffy said immediately.  
  
'Really?' The man was surprised.  
  
'Oh yeah. . .' Buffy nodded. 'Wait. . .why do I need to fight?'  
  
He opened a drawer and removed a business card from it, handing it to Buffy.  
  
'Come to that address tonight at 8, ready to fight, and if you win, I will not only give you this job, I will pay you double.'  
  
Buffy was confused. 'Don't you wanna ask me about. . .me?'  
  
'Blondie, don't ask questions, come there tonight, OK?' He gestured her to leave the office. He was already becoming intimidating, so she stood up, card in her hand, and rushed outside as quickly as possible.  
  
Spike was sitting there in the car absently thinking, when she opened the door and sat back in the seat.  
  
'That was quick, pet.' His expression changed. 'So. . .did you get it?'  
  
She was staring at the business card. 'I dunno. . .' she showed him the card, which was black and had blue and red lines criss-crossing over it, with an address. 'Do you know where this is?'  
  
He looked at it, reading over the details. 'Yeah, this is just around the corner from the club I work at. Why, what do you need it for?'  
  
She sighed. 'Start driving, I'll tell you on the way.'  
  
**********  
  
As they arrived at the house, Spike was amazed.  
  
'Fight? What did he mean by that?'  
  
'I dunno. . .I figure it's some office term that I don't know about.'  
  
'Or maybe it means what other humans know it as - fighting.'  
  
She started opening the door. 'I'm not sure. . .I just know I need this job, and I wouldn't mind the double pay either.' She opened the door, and was about to continue speaking, when she received a huge shock.  
  
Willow and Faith were deep in conversation.  
  
'Oh, OK - Who is currently their tallest player?' Willow asked in a quiz style.  
  
'Easy! Vlade Divac at 7ft 1!' Faith threw her hands up in the air. 'Followed closely by Brad Miller at 7ft.'  
  
'Oh, we're sorry,' Buffy said sarcastically. 'Are we interrupting the big slumber party?'  
  
'Buffy, how could you not tell me Faith was a Kings fan?!' Willow scolded.  
  
'Oh, guess it just. . .slipped my mind,' Buffy said uncertainly. Was this Faith and Willow getting along?  
  
'Please. . .' Spike scoffed. 'You Americans and your basketball - now, football. . .that's a real game!'  
  
'You mean soccer?' Faith said. Spike rolled his eyes. 'Yes.'  
  
'I've always found it kinda dull,' said Willow to Faith.  
  
'Me too,' Faith agreed.  
  
'OK, so I've been here - what - 30 seconds?' Buffy said. 'And no one's asked me how my interview went?'  
  
'Oh right!' Willow slapped her forehead. 'How'd it go?'  
  
'How about majorly weird?' Buffy said, grabbing a magazine on the coffee table and pretending to flick through it.  
  
'What happened?' said Faith concerned. And Buffy explained to them what happened.  
  
'Well, you're not gonna go, right?' said Willow anxiously. 'Maybe it'll be some really powerful demon or something - it could be dangerous. . .'  
  
'Will, I need this job! And I need the money! And it just so happens, fighting's the one thing I'm an expert at.'  
  
'Well, for one thing, you're not going alone,' Faith said decidedly. 'Spike and I will come with you.'  
  
'Actually, I have to work tonight,' he said.  
  
'Ooo, ask Kennedy! She's a Slayer too!' suggested Willow.  
  
'Yeah, Willow's right,' said Buffy. 'Worst case scenario - whatever it might be - 3 Slayers can take it on.'  
  
'Bring weapons,' Spike said as an afterthought.  
  
'We should inform Xander and Anya, just so they know what's going on,' Willow said, picking up the phone.  
  
'Wow. . .' said Buffy thoughtfully. 'It's just like old times, with the whole gang. . .'  
  
**********  
  
A/N: Just in case you're wondering about the random Sacramento Kings reference, it's my little tribute to Basketball, a sport I love, and yet it seems to be so underappreciated here in England (how many Britons out there agree with me?!) The plot about them by the way is totally fictional, so if there are any Kings fans out there, sorry if I get any references really wrong. Also, a great opportunity to make Willow and Faith get along - which was very fun. Coming up. . .quite a long chapter, and my first written fight scene, so watch this space - in the mean time, please review! 


	6. Fight for the Right to Work

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer - it all belongs to Joss Whedon.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Happy New Year everybody, wherever you may be in the world. Here's my first fight scene - sorry about the corny name, by the way, couldn't think of anything more original. Just in case you're wondering, this Kate has nothing to do with Kate the policewoman from Angel. Please review, and keep reading!  
  
Chapter 6  
  
'Fight? Well, there's a job requirement you don't hear often,' Xander said. 'Except for on boxer's résumés and stuff.'  
  
The gang had gathered at the house that evening to discuss the situation.  
  
'I don't know if this is a good idea, Buff,' Xander went on. 'This is like sleeping with someone to get a job. You'll feel as if you're just not appreciated for what you do.'  
  
'You sound as if you're speaking from experience, Xander,' Buffy fought back jokingly. However, his cheeks started to flush, and when Buffy saw this she quickly changed the subject.  
  
'Anyway, fighting and having sex with people are two totally different things,' she continued.  
  
'Yeah, in sex, you don't stand the risk of getting injured,' explained Anya. 'Well, not seriously anyway.'  
  
'I'm behind you, whatever you choose to do, B,' Faith assured.  
  
'Me too,' added Kennedy.  
  
'Thanks you guys!' Buffy was flattered. 'See? The Slayers support me; the rest of you could to.'  
  
'I support you love!' Spike defended. 'I just don't want you to get hurt.'  
  
Buffy smiled sarcastically. 'This from the man who's first thing on his to- do list not so long ago was to kill me.' Those who had been there and knew what she was referring to grinned.  
  
'Hey, that hurt,' he said, offended.  
  
'I love you really sweetie,' Buffy told him. 'Besides. . .the first thing on my to-do list at one point was to kill you too.'  
  
Anya spoke again. 'Xander, you wanna go have some "we just got married" sex? This is boring.' There was a pause, and then:  
  
'I'm gonna go get a drink of water!' Kennedy exclaimed over- enthusiastically.  
  
'I'll join you!' Buffy said with equal over-enthusiasm.  
  
In the kitchen, Buffy and Kennedy started talking again.  
  
'No offence to Anya or anything,' Buffy said, 'but I'm too pre-occupied right now to hear about her sexcapades.'  
  
Kennedy poured herself a drink of water. 'How about listening to them all day?' She downed the water like a liquor shot. Buffy made a questioning face.  
  
'Anya showed up at work today,' Kennedy said tapping her fingers nervously on the counter. 'The fact that she got no sleep last night didn't stop her from telling all the waitresses, bartenders and customers what kept her awake.' Buffy winced.  
  
'Oh, God, I do feel sorry for you. . .'  
  
'Remind me again why I got her this job?'  
  
Buffy calmed Kennedy down. 'To keep the income rolling in,' Buffy explained in a soothing voice.  
  
'Don't take this the wrong way Buffy,' said Kennedy. 'But I really hope that we have to fight a demon tonight because I need to take my fury out on something.'  
  
Buffy smiled appreciatively. 'Come on. We should start getting ready.' Buffy put her hand on Kennedy's shoulder as they walked back into the living room.  
  
They found Anya speaking - quite openly about what Kennedy and Buffy had dreaded - while Willow put her hands over Dawn's ears. Spike's thoughts seemed to be elsewhere, Xander's face was in his hands, and Faith looked incredibly bored.  
  
Buffy walked over to Faith, whispered something, and Faith smiled cheekily.  
  
'Anya, Xander, that sounds great. Too bad she's not doing any of the stuff I did with you, eh Xand?  
  
Anya's eyes widened as Faith continued to speak. 'Let's go get ready for this.'  
  
The three Slayers went up the stairs to the bedrooms, followed by everyone except Anya and Xander, who were now quarrelling.  
  
**********  
  
At ten to 8 o'clock, the three Slayers and Spike (armed with weapons) loaded themselves into the car. The plan was that Spike would drive them there, go on to work, and they'd report back to him later that night. All terribly anxious, they pulled up at a very hidden-away place that was the address they were meant to go to.  
  
'Now remember,' Spike said. 'You go in together, ready to fight right away, weapons by your sides.' They nodded. 'Don't forget to report back to me - I'll be at the door until 2 in the morning.'  
  
'We'll be fine sweetie,' Buffy was sitting in the front with him, and she bent over to his side and kissed him quickly.  
  
'Let's go girls,' she said, stepping out of the car, followed by Kennedy and Faith, who was carrying the weapons bag. Spike drove around the corner to the club he worked at.  
  
'OK,' said Buffy, pulling out the business card and trying to see it in the darkness. 'It must be down those stairs. . .' she pointed to some stairs that headed downwards into what seemed like nothing. Faith pulled out a torch and shone it down the steps.  
  
The three started descending the metal stairs silently, and reached a large door.  
  
'Do we knock?' asked Kennedy.  
  
'I say we break it down,' Faith said, lifting her foot to kick the door down. Buffy stopped her. 'The rule is: knock first. If there's no answer, then you break the door down.'  
  
Faith was disappointed.  
  
Buffy knocked politely, and to their surprise, a slot slid open, with two eyes staring through them.  
  
'Password?' a man's gruff voice called out.  
  
'Uh, we don't have one,' said Buffy. 'But we have this,' she put the business card in front of the two eyes.  
  
The slot slid shut, and the Slayers shrugged. Just as they lifted their legs to kick the door down, they heard some bolts, and the door opened.  
  
'Come in,' said a man with a moustache and greasy hair.  
  
They hid their weapons from him as they shuffled in, and the door slammed behind them, making them jump.  
  
They had entered into a huge crowd of people; cheering, calling out, with banners carrying slogans, and in the middle of it all was a ring.  
  
'Oh my God. . .' said Buffy breathlessly. 'It's a wrestling arena. Of course! The blue and red lines on the card are like the rope colours.'  
  
'Looks like we won't be needing these,' said Faith in a let-down voice, looking longingly at the weapons bag.  
  
'It also means no demon,' said Kennedy pouting.  
  
'It means that I have to wrestle someone,' said Buffy in an annoyed voice. 'Fighting? Wrestling isn't fighting! It's stupid set-up struggles between people with corny names and in tight latex costumes!'  
  
'Do you wanna back out B?' asked Faith.  
  
Buffy looked around at all the cheering fans, and back at the currently empty ring.  
  
'No,' she decided. 'I can take some loser in latex on any day.' Faith and Kennedy smiled as they pat Buffy on the back.  
  
'Buffy Summers?' A voice called out behind them. They jumped once again and spun around.  
  
A man was holding a clipboard with a sheet attached to it.  
  
'Yeah?' Buffy said coming to the front.  
  
'You're on next,' said the man. 'I'll take you to the back so you can get changed.' He urged her to follow him. Faith and Kennedy started going, but the man stopped them.  
  
'The blonde comes alone. You two can take a seat and watch.'  
  
Faith and Kennedy looked on helplessly as Buffy went somewhere hidden away.  
  
'What if she gets in trouble in the ring?' Kennedy asked nervously.  
  
'We jump right in there and kick the ass of her opponent,' Faith confirmed. They shared a high five.  
  
They were going to stand united now.  
  
**********  
  
Meanwhile, Buffy had been taken to a shared changing room, where intimidating muscular women were getting ready. Among them all, for the first time, Buffy felt weak. One of them even took one look at her and burst out laughing.  
  
Buffy was led into her own dressing room, and the man addressed her there.  
  
'Your costume's in the closet. Put it on, I'll be back in 10 minutes to take you to the ring.' He was about to leave, but then he turned around, taking a good look at her. 'Are you sure you're gonna be able to take one of those women on? You're kinda. . .petite.'  
  
'I can take care of myself,' Buffy replied coldly.  
  
The man was surprised by her tone, and he rushed out of the room.  
  
Buffy turned towards the closet, and with incredible fear, opened the door.  
  
Staring back at her was a ridiculously ugly tight costume - blue, yellow and red - and it looked like something a cheesy superhero would wear. Without the cape.  
  
Buffy gasped at the fashion faux pas. She couldn't believe hundreds of people were going to see her wearing this. "Just think of the job and the money," she told herself. "The job and the money. . ."  
  
As she put it on, she thought to herself: "This is the ugliest and most uncomfortable thing I have ever worn." She paused in her mind. "Well. . .except for Anya's bridesmaid dress."  
  
Soon after that, the man came back to pick her up. 'Great, you're ready!' He took her by the arm and led her in a certain direction.  
  
'I have a couple of questions,' Buffy released herself from his grip. He sighed.  
  
'What?'  
  
'Where's my boss?' she asked roughly.  
  
'In the audience. Don't worry, he's watching.' The man took her arm again, but she pulled it away.  
  
'What exactly are the rules of this fight?' she continued.  
  
'No rules,' said the man definitely. 'First one to get the other one on the ground for 3 seconds wins.' He tried to grab her arm again, but she backed away.  
  
'One more.' She crossed her arms. 'Who am I fighting?'  
  
He laughed darkly. 'You'll see. . .'  
  
This time she let him grab her by the arm, and before she knew it, she was in the middle of the crowd, trying to get to the ring. She looked around for Faith and Kennedy, but there were too many people for her to recognise anyone.  
  
As she reached the centre, a loud voiceover started to speak.  
  
'And now for our next fight,' the voice boomed. 'We have a new vs. old battle. In the red corner, new girl Buffy!'  
  
Buffy clambered into the ring, and Faith and Kennedy watched from the side.  
  
'What is she wearing?' Faith stared at the outfit.  
  
'That's not what I'm worried about. . .' Kennedy commented, as she scanned the crowd for Buffy's opponent.  
  
'And in the blue corner. . .' the voice continued to boom. 'The roughest toughest girl in San Fran, never been beaten, Kate the Great!'  
  
The crowd erupted in cheers, and Buffy suddenly realised that EVERY banner had a slogan supporting Kate.  
  
'How come these losers didn't cheer like this for Buffy?' Faith complained. Kennedy however was completely in awe.  
  
'Did that guy just say "never been beaten" Kate the Great?'  
  
'Oh whatever,' Faith rolled her eyes. 'B can handle. . .' She stopped dead as she caught sight of the woman climbing into the ring.  
  
Not only was this woman extra tall, she was much more muscular than any other woman they had ever seen. She had a fierce look on her face - more so than of any wild animal - and a loud voice.  
  
'Who dares challenge Kate the Great?' she shouted, glaring at Buffy. Buffy trembled slightly, but she was determined to keep eye contact to prove that she was not afraid. And what was there to be afraid of? She'd fought the First just a few months ago - the Ultimate Evil - and had beaten it. Except then of course, she'd been armed with 50 Slayers and a plan. Now she was alone, and all she had was a stupid costume.  
  
The referee stood in the middle of the ring. 'First one held down for three seconds that I count wins. Ready,' he raised his hands. '3, 2, 1. . .fight!' He dropped his hands and walked out of the ring.  
  
Buffy and Kate the Great started encircling each other in the ring. Suddenly, Kate stopped, laughing.  
  
'You really think you can challenge me? You're so puny, I don't understand how you walk!' The crowd laughed with her.  
  
Buffy threw up her hands in protest. 'Alright, that's it! Why do people automatically think that I'm a weakling just because I'm short and thin? I've had enough!'  
  
'I'll have you done in a minute,' threatened Kate.  
  
'Give me your best shot,' said Buffy.  
  
With that, Kate charged for Buffy like a bull. Buffy stood on the spot, hands on her hips.  
  
'Why isn't she moving?!' Kennedy said urgently.  
  
'Give her a sec,' said Faith smiling.  
  
Just when it looked as if Kate would jump on Buffy, the Slayer did a sideways somersault in the last available moment, and Kate jumped on the ropes, tangling herself in them. The crowd gasped in surprise, and Kennedy let out a sigh of relief.  
  
As Kate released herself from the ropes, she glared at Buffy. 'You were lucky then,' she claimed.  
  
'Yeah, I accidentally, but luckily, somersaulted my body sideways,' Buffy said sarcastically. This time, the crowd laughed with her.  
  
'I'll get you this time,' Kate growled. 'You wanna do gym, we'll do gym.' With that, she did multiple flips towards Buffy, and when she reached her gave her a hard kick in the face. Buffy fell back into the ropes, and a loud groan echoed from the crowd.  
  
'I can't watch,' Kennedy wailed, covering her eyes. Faith however was waiting anxiously for the fierce comeback she knew Buffy was capable of.  
  
Buffy stood up from the ropes, and raised her fists, like she had done so many times before.  
  
'It's not so funny when you're the one in the ropes, is it?' Kate said.  
  
'You're really gonna regret doing that,' said Buffy through gritted teeth.  
  
'Oh am I?' Kate taunted. 'What are you gonna do about it little girl?'  
  
Buffy smiled. 'I heard this fight has no rules. Is that true?'  
  
Kate snorted. 'Yeah, I can break your neck if I want.'  
  
'I was hoping you'd say that.' Buffy jumped out of the ring. 'Hold on a sec,' she told Kate.  
  
The audience were bewildered. What was the new girl doing?  
  
'I know what she wants,' said Faith. She opened the weapons bag. 'Buffy, over here!' she called. Luckily, the arena was silent enough at that moment for her to be heard.  
  
All heads turned her way, as well as Buffy's. 'Faith! Toss me the duel pole will you?'  
  
Faith nodded. She removed the pole from the bag, lengthened it, and like a javelin, threw it down to Buffy, who caught it perfectly. Buffy knew that wrestlers were strong, but they definitely weren't agile. She had realised she had the upper hand in this fight.  
  
'Thanks!' Buffy climbed back into the ring. All faces were confused, and Kate was looking extremely frightened.  
  
'What is that thing?' she pointed at the pole.  
  
'Well, you said there were no rules,' Buffy explained, spinning the pole in her hands idly. 'I just thought I'd have some physical aid.' Without warning, she stuck the pole out and knocked Kate off her feet. Unfortunately, Kate jumped back up too quickly. She laughed, but it was somewhat nervous.  
  
'I can break that little twig any day. It's wood.' She grabbed it, trying to break it, but failed, barely making it crack.  
  
'We call it a pole for a reason. It's got a thick metal pipe down the middle; otherwise it would be called a stick.'  
  
Faith was clapping her hands, while most of the public were still. The banners supporting Kate had been dropped, and the cheering had died down.  
  
'Enough of the chit chat and empty threats,' said Buffy. 'Time to fight.'  
  
She spun the pole around so that it hit Kate twice within a second. Buffy ran up to her, kicked both her legs up high, straight into Kate's chest, and used her free hands for the pole, keeping Kate's hands busy (which were trying to grasp the pole, but unable to because she couldn't see anything). Then Buffy alternated, spinning the pole on the ground with her feet to distract Kate's, while she punched Kate's face and stomach.  
  
Just when Kate looked like she was going to faint, Buffy elbowed her in the face, grabbed the pole and knocked her off her feet.  
  
This time Buffy made sure that Kate stayed on the ground, using the pole to keep her down. The referee had been prepared, as he was already in the ring. Buffy held down the pole with all her strength as she waited for the count.  
  
'1, 2, 3. . .you're out!' Buffy let the pressure off Kate, who didn't seem able to get up.  
  
'New girl Buffy wins!'  
  
The crowd cheered even louder for Buffy than it had done for Kate, and some of the banners went back up - except Kate's name had been scribbled over with Buffy's. Faith and Kennedy had jumped up and were hugging each other.  
  
Buffy smiled as her arm was raised by the referee victoriously. She had beaten Kate with classic Slayers moves, strength and agility.  
  
She turned around to see how Kate was. To her great pleasure, she was still on the ground, and some man was bandaging her knee.  
  
Kate turned her head, looking directly at Buffy, and suddenly, her eyes glowed green.  
  
A very unnatural, non-human green.  
  
Buffy turned away and swallowed as she realised:  
  
She had just fought a demon.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: More coming soon, but I'll be on holiday for the next few days, and I hope everyone gets a good rest for the New Year. Coming up. . .a little comic scene at Spike's club, and the Slayers tell all to the gang. 


	7. A Trust Issue, Some Poofs, and a Job on ...

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer - it all belongs to Joss Whedon.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I apologise for the scene at Spike's club. . .I had been watching a little too much Will & Grace at the time. You'll understand what I mean once you read it.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
After the victory, Buffy had gone back to the changing room to change out of the ugly costume into her other clothes. Just before she went in, someone tapped her shoulder, and she spun around.  
  
'Buffy!' It was the fat balding man who she hoped would hire her. 'That was amazing! Do you know, Kate is the ultimate champion? And you beat her!'  
  
Buffy hesitated. 'So, uh. . .do I get the job?'  
  
He smiled. 'Of course! And the double pay, as promised!'  
  
Buffy tried to smile, but for some reason she wasn't that happy, despite getting the job.  
  
'Can you start tomorrow at 9?'  
  
She nodded. 'I'll see you then,' she replied.  
  
He walked away, a certain jump in his step. She watched him, and then she heard behind her-  
  
'Buffy!' Kennedy called out. Faith was with her, carrying the weapons bag.  
  
'B, you rocked out there!' Faith praised. 'Forget the secretary job, you should do this professionally, kick the ass of every Kate the Great there is!'  
  
Faith and Kennedy were really enthusiastic, but Buffy dampened their mood. 'Not exactly.' They looked at her confused.  
  
'I'll explain,' she said, but then she looked around. 'As soon as we get out of here.'  
  
**********  
  
The three of them went out the way they came in and directed themselves in the direction of the club Spike worked at.  
  
'Come on, tell us Buffy, you're killing us here!' Kennedy wailed. Buffy made sure the three of them were close, and she told them about the green eyes.  
  
'Are you sure it wasn't the light?' Kennedy checked.  
  
'I'm positive! It was a total demon thing!'  
  
'Can we go back and kill it?' Kennedy asked desperately.  
  
'No. . .' Buffy gave her a look. 'I've gotta find out more about this wrestling place before we do anything drastic. I'm starting work tomorrow, I'll try find out more about it from my boss.'  
  
'Do you think he knows she's a demon?' asked Faith carefully.  
  
'Well, I dunno,' Buffy answered honestly. 'We don't know his role in the whole thing, whether he was the one who employed her. If he is. . .he didn't know I was a Slayer. I wouldn't think he'd care what she is, as long as she's strong.'  
  
'But what puzzles me,' contributed Kennedy, 'is: why did he ask you to fight in the first place? What does he benefit from it?'  
  
'Money?' Buffy guessed. 'He bets on us?'  
  
'Probably,' said Faith. They had turned into the street of the club, and in the distance could already see the queue.  
  
'So are we gonna tell everyone?' asked Faith.  
  
'Of course,' said Buffy. 'Especially considering this is the first proper demon action we've had in a while.'  
  
They had almost reached the club, and could see the front door, where they caught sight of Spike with another man, dressed completely in black, looking over the people entering the club. For the first time they'd seen, Spike was wearing sunglasses, and acting very macho to everybody. However it wasn't men and women - it was just men. And some of them with quite revealing clothing. . .  
  
'Oh my God, it's a gay club!' exclaimed Faith, clasping her hand over her mouth. 'Spike works at a gay club!'  
  
Faith was laughing hard now. Buffy scowled at her, but Faith laughed even more.  
  
'Looks like Anya's kind of place,' said Kennedy, half-joking half-serious.  
  
'Spike!' Buffy called out over the crowd. He looked up and, spotting her, whispered something to the other man at the door. He nodded, and Spike walked over through the gays to where the three girls were standing. On the way there, one of the men in the queue whistled at Spike. He rolled his eyes.  
  
'So, what happened?' he asked eagerly.  
  
'Aren't you gonna tell us what this,' Buffy pointed to the queue of gay men, 'is all about?'  
  
'What?' he shrugged. The three Slayers glared at him.  
  
'Oh, you mean the club!' he understood. 'Yeah, well, it was the only place with a job opening. This city does have a high gay population, you know, what do you expect?'  
  
'Hopefully that you're not one of them?' Buffy joked. Faith and Kennedy giggled.  
  
'Look, it's good business! And it's not as if I flirt!'  
  
Buffy raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.  
  
'Anyway. . .' he said. 'What happened?'  
  
'Buffy fought a demon,' Faith interrupted. Spike's eyes widened.  
  
'What?!'  
  
Buffy explained what had happened, from the changing rooms to the fat balding man. When she had finished, Spike just stared at her.  
  
'Working for him my ass. . .Buffy, you can't go work at that place!' he protested.  
  
'Look, I know it might seem dangerous. . .'  
  
'Seem dangerous?!' he snorted. 'The man sent you out to fight a demon with your bare hands! Who knows what else he'll make you do!'  
  
'Spike, I'm in pain, I have bruises in places I never thought I would - I worked hard for this job, and I'm bloody well taking it!' she paused, rolling her eyes. 'I've spent so much time with you; you're actually starting to influence my speech. Anyway. . .even if I don't keep the job, maybe I can find out more about this demon.'  
  
'But Buffy,' this whole time, Kennedy and Faith had been listening and watching intently, but now Spike wanted some alone time with Buffy. He took her arm, pushing her aside enough so the other two Slayers even with their improved hearing couldn't hear.  
  
'What I said earlier,' he went on, quietly, 'about me not wanting you to get hurt. . .all jokes aside, I love you.' He took her hand. 'I'm not gonna let you injure yourself unless your Slayer duties force you to.'  
  
'But this is my Slayer duty,' she said gently. 'It's just one demon. . .I can fight it.'  
  
There was a break as he looked deeply at her. 'Alright. . .but promise me as soon as you find out more about it and kill it, you'll quit your job, OK? You can find somewhere better to work at, I know you can.'  
  
She sighed, deep in thought. 'OK, I promise.' They leaned in to each other, touching foreheads. He placed his hand on her chin, lifted it up, and kissed her gently. 'I've got to go back now. . .but go home, get some rest.' She nodded.  
  
Meanwhile, Kennedy and Faith had moved themselves subtly towards the queue of gay men. Some of them let out groans of disappointment.  
  
'Oh no! I can't believe he's straight!'  
  
'I knew it, my gaydar just wasn't reacting to him!'  
  
Faith smiled cheekily at Kennedy. 'I have an idea. . .' she turned to them. 'Oh, but boys, he is gay! That girl over there. . .' she lowered her voice, as they all huddled together to hear her better. 'Actually a guy. . .'  
  
They gasped.  
  
'You are not serious!'  
  
'Oh, sweet Britney, my prayers have been answered!'  
  
'There's still hope for us!'  
  
Kennedy stared wide-eyed at Faith, but she had a smile on her face. 'I can't believe you just did that!' she whispered.  
  
'It was just too good of an opportunity to miss. . .'  
  
**********  
  
Buffy, Faith and Kennedy walked home, discussing possible tactics and what they could do next. Faith however failed to mention the little trick she'd played on Spike, and what would lead him to get home that night feeling very harassed.  
  
'Well, your boss is definitely gonna mention it,' said Kennedy. 'So you can be like "oh, by the way, what have you got to do with it all?"'  
  
'I can't seem too suspicious though,' said Buffy. 'If I ask too many questions he's immediately gonna think I know something.'  
  
'Well, just try to find out where Kate came from,' Faith suggested. 'I figure, wherever she came from, that's where you might find out more about her.'  
  
As they reached the house, Buffy unlocked the door, and wandered in to find Willow and Dawn sitting on the sofa, eating mini cookies from a bag.  
  
'Dawn!' Buffy exclaimed. 'What are you still doing up?! Look at the time. . .and you've got school tomorrow. . .Will, how could you let her stay up this late?'  
  
'Oh, I'm sorry,' Dawn answered in her typical sarcastic way. 'Is it wrong for me to be worried about my sister?'  
  
Buffy pouted. 'Sorry. . .' she looked down at her shoes. 'That's sweet of you. . .but your homework better all be done.'  
  
'Got it covered,' she assured.  
  
'So Buffy, what happened?' Willow asked concerned, putting her arm around Kennedy's waist. 'What did you have to fight?'  
  
'Not fight,' Buffy corrected. 'Wrestle.'  
  
Willow screwed up her face. 'As in. . .WWF wrestle?'  
  
'That's the best way of describing it, yeah,' Buffy confirmed.  
  
'But you see, B used a pole. That's the difference,' Faith pointed out, quite proudly, considering she'd been the one that had thrown it down to Buffy.  
  
'The duel pole,' Buffy explained. She got it out of the weapons bag and showed it to them. Willow and Dawn nodded, recognising the weapon. 'I did a couple of Slayer moves on her. The woman couldn't even stay on her feet.'  
  
Faith coughed obviously. Buffy looked at her surprised. 'What?'  
  
'Don't you mean "demon" rather than "woman"?'  
  
'Demon?' Dawn and Willow said at precisely the same moment.  
  
'Oh yeah, she was actually a demon. Good night,' Buffy started going towards the stairs.  
  
'Not so fast,' Dawn stopped her. Buffy turned around. 'Did you kill it?'  
  
Buffy hesitated. 'No. . .but I couldn't! It was already the end of the fight when I saw it was a demon!' They looked at her with annoyed looks on their faces. '. . .but I got the job. . .' she went on.  
  
'You're actually gonna work for this guy even though he made you fight a demon?' Dawn said. 'Is that so smart sis?'  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes. 'Oh, for God's sake, I'll be fine! I'll go to work tomorrow, find out more about the demon, and then I'll kill it. No questions asked.'  
  
They kept looking at her, but this time doubtfully.  
  
'Cross my heart,' Buffy lifted her hand up.  
  
'That's swearing under oath,' Willow pointed out.  
  
'Oh, then. . .scout's honour.'  
  
'You were never a scout,' said Dawn.  
  
'Whatever! Just trust me, OK?' She took a deep breath. 'Where are Anya and Xander?'  
  
'Where'd you think?' Willow raised an eyebrow.  
  
'Ah,' Buffy acknowledged what Willow meant. 'Oh, well, I'm off to bed. See you guys tomorrow.'  
  
With that, she went upstairs, so she would be well-rested enough for her first - and possibly last - day at work.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: TBC. . .Next, Buffy's first day at work, and another request from her boss. More of Buffy's personal thoughts revealed, and her making an important decision. 


	8. First Day on the Job

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer - it all belongs to Joss Whedon.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This fic's about 4 chapters from the end, so I would really appreciate some encouragement.also, I have some ficlets in the works, so please keep your eyes open for those. In the meantime, please review!  
  
Chapter 8  
  
Buffy had woken up the next morning like she had the day before - earlier than usual. She'd found Spike there with her, assuming he must have gotten into bed after she'd fallen asleep. She'd brushed her teeth, and then went to her wardrobe to pick a first-day outfit, just like she'd done yesterday.  
  
But this time, even more thoughts were zooming through her head. What was she really letting herself into going to work for this guy? What did she even know about him and his company? Nothing.  
  
Just the fact that she was getting paid double.  
  
"I'm pathetic" she thought to herself. "All I care about is the money. Not that I could get hurt, not about the place I'm gonna be spending several hours a day at - the money. That's it."  
  
It was sad for her to think like this, but it was true. They'd barely managed to gather up enough savings they had in a foreign bank to get this house, but they all knew that soon enough the money would run out. It reminded her of the time after she'd been brought back from the dead, and how tight money was then.  
  
It frightened her - how far would she go to earn some money? How much would she hide from her friends. . .?  
  
She'd promised them that as soon as she found out about the demon, she'd kill it, and then quit her job. It would be too dangerous to stay working there.  
  
But. . .what if it wasn't that bad? What if, this demon was just a one-off nobody knew about. . .maybe her boss would keep asking her to fight, humans this time - she'd proved she was brilliant at it - and keep paying her extra. No one would have to know. . .  
  
She shook her head. She couldn't keep that much hidden away from everybody, it wasn't fair on them.  
  
She had picked an outfit and put it on, while Spike remained in deep sleep. She left the room quietly, taking care as she shut the door behind her.  
  
After stepping down the stairs, Buffy received a strange déjà vu as she caught sight of Kennedy in the kitchen, but this time, Dawn was there too. They were eating breakfast together and talking. As soon as they saw her, they abruptly stopped.  
  
'Good morning Buffy,' Kennedy said politely.  
  
'Morning guys,' Buffy said, suspicious of the fact they'd stopped their conversation so quickly. 'What were you talking about?'  
  
Dawn's eyes widened. 'Oh, nothing really, school stuff. Y'know. . .snore.' She smiled evasively. 'So. . .going to work?'  
  
'Yeah. . .' Buffy sat down with them, and got an apple from the centre of the table where there was a fruit bowl. 'Were you guys talking about me?' she asked bluntly.  
  
'No! No. . .what gives you that idea?' Kennedy answered too quickly. Buffy raised an eyebrow, as she bit into the apple.  
  
'I think you should be asking, what isn't giving me that idea,' she spoke with her mouth full. 'I'd have less to say.'  
  
Kennedy winced. 'Sorry Buff. I was just telling Dawn about what happened last night, and we were saying that. . .well. . .' she was hesitating.  
  
Buffy swallowed her piece of apple. 'What? What were you saying?'  
  
Dawn finished off Kennedy's sentence: 'We were saying that we think it's a bad idea for you to go work for this guy. We think you should go back to the wrestling place tonight, go to the changing rooms, find the wrestler- demon you fought last night and kill it, forgetting about this job.'  
  
Buffy shut her eyes, fed up. 'Will you guys give it a rest already?! I've faced much bigger dangers than this, and you didn't lift a finger then. Why all of a sudden the "keep Buffy protected from the whole demon world" crap?'  
  
Kennedy and Dawn shifted in their seats. Buffy was waiting for an answer. 'Well?'  
  
'Honestly sis, we don't even know,' Dawn answered. 'All we know is, life at the moment is the best it's been in a long time. You're not the only chosen one anymore, you can have a proper life - which makes it a hell of a lot easier on us. We just don't want any stupid dumbass demon coming to ruin it.'  
  
'What makes you think I can't fight it so I can stop it doing just that?' Buffy protested.  
  
'We don't wanna take the risk,' Kennedy said in a finalised tone.  
  
'It'll be taking a much bigger risk letting it run free. . .'  
  
'Look, we're not saying don't kill it,' Dawn corrected. 'We're saying kill it, then step away from the guy that led you to it in the first place.'  
  
'I think you guys are really overreacting about this. . .' Buffy said. 'The guy is a harmless loser! He probably just gets aroused watching two women get it on in a ring!'  
  
'Maybe, maybe not. . .' said Kennedy. 'But still. . .stay away from it if you can Buff, OK?'  
  
Buffy sighed. 'Alright, alright, if it'll get everybody off my back. Is this why you all keep bugging me about this? To make sure I quit?'  
  
'We love you sis, that's why,' Dawn said. She stood up and swung her backpack over her shoulder. 'I'm off to school. See ya later.' She went out the door.  
  
'You might wanna leave too,' Kennedy suggested, pointing at her watch. Buffy nodded.  
  
'Yeah, I should be heading off.' She grabbed her purse. 'I'll see you all tonight; I'll tell you if I find out anything more about this demon- wrestler.' Kennedy nodded and waved goodbye as Buffy followed her sister's example and left.  
  
**********  
  
She arrived at the office 5 minutes before she had to, at 8:55. She hadn't expected to be as nervous as she was. . .why was it she had this horrible feeling in her stomach every time she thought about confronting this guy?  
  
Stepping into the office, she could see she wasn't the only early person. There were three other people there; a nerdy looking-man, sitting at a computer typing mechanically, a similar looking woman doing the same, and another woman wearing glasses, with her hair in a tight bun. Buffy thought it wisest to approach her rather than the other two.  
  
'Excuse me,' she said approaching the woman. 'It's my first day as secretary. Do you know where I'm meant to go?'  
  
The woman stopped her business, and just stared at Buffy for a moment. 'You seem smarter than the others,' she said in a faraway voice. Buffy assumed this woman meant the other workers in the office, but thought it was a strange comment in itself.  
  
'Uh. . .I wouldn't think so,' she replied honestly. 'Could you tell me where to find. . .' Buffy realised she didn't even know this guy's name. She was letting somebody employ her, and she didn't even know his name. '. . .your boss?' she finally said.  
  
The woman was still staring at her. 'You look just like the others. . .almost.' She started encircling Buffy. 'You're a bit different. There's something unique about you. . .a certain glow.'  
  
Buffy was beginning to feel uncomfortable. 'Uh. . .OK. . .'  
  
Just then, to her great relief, the only person she recognised walked into the office. The man who had employed her. He was carrying a briefcase, and looked like the average business man.  
  
The two people who had been sitting at their computers and typing immediately looked up and replied in unison: 'Good morning Mr. Cooper.'  
  
Buffy realised there was something very strange going on around here. These people weren't normal. Could they have been robots?  
  
'Good morning,' he replied to them, hanging his coat up. 'Ah! Miss Summers!' he said, noticing Buffy. 'Right on time - in fact early! I'm impressed!'  
  
'Yes, well, first impressions are everything,' she said, quickly moving away from the creepy woman with the glasses and tight bun. 'Where do I start training?'  
  
'Ready to get straight to work. . .I like that!' the man said, walking away, and gesturing to Buffy to follow him. She did so.  
  
He walked over to a desk in the corner - noticeably larger than the rest.  
  
'Right. . .' he began. 'This is where you will spend the day. Answer the calls - they'll probably all ask for me. To transfer them, press this button,' he pointed to a button labelled with a red "C". 'If they're asking for somebody else, you type the code corresponding to the name here,' he pointed to sheet sello-taped to the desk. 'My meeting schedule is here,' he pointed to a large piece of paper that was the main thing to be seen on the desk. 'If someone would like an appointment, just write their name down in the slot according to the date and time. Your lunch by the way is from 1 until 2.' He finished and looked at her. 'Got it?'  
  
Buffy nodded uneasily.  
  
'Great,' he started walking away.  
  
'Wait!' Buffy called out. He turned around. 'Yes?'  
  
'W-was that the training?' she asked confused. He nodded. 'It's easy. Get to work. Oh, and, uh, I'd like to talk to you afterwards. Could you pop into my office around tennish?'  
  
Buffy was bewildered. This was the job she'd had to wrestle a demon for? Transferring calls and filling out slots? A five-year old could do it. And why was this man treating her as if nothing had happened the night before? And why did we he want to see her later?  
  
'Sure,' she answered, realising he had been standing waiting for her to say something.  
  
'See you then,' he said cheerily, as he went into his office, shut the door behind him, and a very distinct click was heard of locking it.  
  
Buffy sat down at her desk. This job was easy. . .too easy. Anybody could've gotten it, why had she? And what was worse. . .she now had to think of a way to pass the time, because this certainly wasn't going to keep her that occupied.  
  
**********  
  
Five more creepy workers arriving, one phone call and one appointment arranged later, it was ten o'clock. Buffy couldn't think when she had been more bored. This was surely the most pointless thing ever. And her boss hadn't even emerged out of his office. What could he have been doing in there?  
  
She'd remembered that he'd wanted to see her at 10, so she went over to his door. She knocked politely three times, and waited for the door to open.  
  
Mr. Cooper opened it. 'Buffy! Come in!' He let her in and shut the door behind her. 'How are you finding the job?'  
  
'Good! Good. . .so, what did you want to talk to me about?' she asked innocently, gazing at the things on his desk.  
  
He smiled widely. 'Last night of course!' he exclaimed. 'You are one of the best fighters I've seen in a while; you could be a really big hit!'  
  
'Thanks!' Buffy said with fake gratitude. 'But. . .I hope you don't mind me asking. . .what is your part in the whole thing?'  
  
His smile faded. 'Why do you want to know that?' he asked sounding paranoid.  
  
'Oh, no reason!' Buffy said, trying not to sound too suspicious. 'I was just wondering. . .'  
  
'Well, I just help around there, OK? Happy?' he said, telling her this in an aggressive voice. She stood back, hoping he wouldn't be too angry at her. She nodded.  
  
'So. . .' he was calming down. 'I was thinking. . .how would you like to have a re-match with Kate tonight?' Buffy's eyes widened.  
  
'What?! No. . .no, I couldn't, once with her was really enough. . .'  
  
'Listen, Buffy,' he sat down on his desk, looking at her. 'I know what you're thinking - we had a deal yesterday, we should today as well. Well. . .I'm prepared to offer you an extra two weeks paid holiday, and. . .a 30% raise.'  
  
Buffy was taken aback. This man was offering her more money?! And two weeks extra PAID holiday?!?! All this just to fight Kate the Stupid again?  
  
'OK,' she said, surprising herself with the confidence she had.  
  
'Fantastic!' the man seemed pleased. 'Same time, same place tonight. Do you still have the card?'  
  
'Uh. . .yeah. . .' Buffy answered.  
  
'Use it to get in like you did yesterday, alright?' She nodded.  
  
'Now you can get back to work,' he pointed to his door. 'I'm very excited about you Buffy. . .really, I am.'  
  
She smiled weakly, as she left the office, shut the door, and went back to her desk.  
  
How low was she? She was a shallow, shallow person. Why was she fighting Kate again? She'd barely managed to escape her last night, how was she going to do it without Faith, Kennedy, and the trusty weapons bag?  
  
At the thought of Kennedy, he stomach lurched. She had been so concerned about Buffy this morning. . .as had Dawn. . .and Spike. . .and all her friends last night. She'd promised them she would quit this job as soon as she killed Kate. . .but now, seeing that her boss was ready to keep giving her more money and benefits, that was the last thing she wanted to do.  
  
Partly disgusted with herself, but trying to push that to the back of her mind, she realised what she had to do.  
  
She'd have to lie to those who cared about her.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: If you're wondering about the boss' name, it's based on a creepy guy I know (my friends will know who I mean. . .don't forget the umlaut ;-)). TBC. . .Buffy breaks a promise, and she prepares for a repeat of her fight, kinda angsty. 


	9. Lying to Those You Care About

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer - it all belongs to Joss Whedon.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I've also posted the first chapter of my three-chapter ficlet. Please, go check it out; one of my friends set me this challenge which I'm quite proud of.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
That afternoon, at approximately 17:30, Buffy arrived home. She was greeted by Dawn, who had come home from school an hour earlier.  
  
'Buffy!' she rushed down the stairs as soon as she heard someone walk into the house. 'How was work?'  
  
Buffy leaned back onto the wall. She barely nodded. 'OK. . .'  
  
Dawn stood there, hands loosely on her hips, watching her sister for any signs of emotion. 'That's it? Just "OK"? Nothing new about weird-demon- wrestler lady?'  
  
Buffy was torn at that point. Should she tell her sister the truth about what had happened? Tell her sister that she had been offered to fight Kate again that night, and she would go, but wouldn't really fight her in the ring, just find her before the match and kill her? That's what they all wanted her to do.  
  
'Not much,' she finally said. She decided she'd do it her own way.  
  
'So you have to go back there tomorrow?' Dawn sounded disappointed. Buffy was curious about her tone.  
  
'Yeah. . .why do you sound so pooped about it?'  
  
Dawn shrugged. 'I just. . .I don't want you to risk being hurt. And also, it kinda sucked coming home to an empty house.'  
  
Buffy pouted. 'Empty?' she peered around the rooms in her line of vision. 'Where's everybody else?'  
  
Dawn started listing everybody on her fingers. 'Uh. . .Kennedy's at work, Spike's grocery shopping, and Willow and Faith left a note saying they'd gone out together to run an errand.' She gave Buffy a quizzical look. 'Have you noticed how those two have become much chummier? What's up with that?'  
  
Buffy dismissed it. 'Oh. . .I dunno, they found some sports team in common or something. Whatever, I'm just happy they're getting along.'  
  
Dawn raised her eyebrows. 'Tell me about it. . .doesn't Will like, totally hate her?'  
  
Buffy nodded. 'I thought so too. But hey - they've worked out their differences. Good news for everybody.' She started going upstairs towards her room, but then Dawn stopped her.  
  
'Hey sis - do you wanna catch a movie tonight or something?'  
  
Buffy smiled, and was just about to agree, but then she remembered she had something to do that night. 'I. . .can't tonight. I'm busy,' she said apologetically.  
  
Dawn looked at her shoes. She was clearly disappointed - the two of them hadn't had a night to themselves in a long time. 'Oh. . .doesn't matter. Lotta homework anyway.' She shrugged it off, but there was a lot more pain there than Dawn allowed herself to show.  
  
'Maybe some other time?' Buffy suggested hopefully.  
  
Dawn had already started going towards the other room, and she quickly turned around. 'Oh - right. Sure.' She walked away.  
  
Buffy sighed. She hadn't even fought this woman yet, and already she had caused one of those closest to herself pain.  
  
**********  
  
Later that evening, Buffy had gotten dressed in her 'combat' clothes, ready to leave the house. Everybody had come back, and even Xander and Anya had dropped by.  
  
Buffy came down the stairs, fully ready to depart the house in 10 minutes. She just needed to think up an excuse for where she was going. . .  
  
'Hey Buffy!' Willow called from the living room. Buffy approached her, and she was standing with Faith. 'Guess what Faith and I got. . .?'  
  
'Um. . .well, it's gotta be something to do with that team of yours. . .'  
  
Faith jumped in. 'We got tickets - for all of us - to go see the Kings in a game tomorrow night!' she squealed.  
  
'We were thinking of getting them just for the two of us. . .' Willow said, pointing to her and Faith, '. . .but thought it would be way funner if we all went as a group. I mean, how long's it been since we've done something like that?!' She exclaimed excited.  
  
'I'm looking forward to it,' Buffy nodded with a smile. Just then, Spike jumped her from behind, putting his arms around her. 'Hey there, working girl. . .' he whispered in her ear. Willow and Faith could see they weren't really welcome in this scenario, so they walked off, exchanging looks.  
  
Buffy breathed in Spike's scent, as he nuzzled her neck. She hadn't all day; it was so refreshing to her. . .  
  
'Hey you. . .' she said, turning around in his arms to face him. She put her arms around his waist. 'How's your day been?' There foreheads were touching.  
  
'Average. . .apart from last night. You know, some of those gay guys are aggressive when they want something. . .' Buffy gave him a look. 'How's your day been?' he said, going back to the topic at hand, not physically distancing himself from her for one moment.  
  
'Ah. . .boring. My job's a lot easier than I thought it would be, considering I had to fight a demon for it and all.'  
  
'Speaking of. . .thinking of quitting anytime soon?' he said, smiling, but seriously.  
  
'Not yet. Haven't found out enough about demon-wrestler-lady to do that yet,' Buffy explained. Even as she said those lying words, she felt awful. Being this close to the one she loved, she wanted to pour her entire soul out to him. But she knew she had a job to do. . .and was getting paid a lot of money for it.  
  
'So. . .' he said, kissing her nose, her cheeks, her chin, tenderly. 'You wanna go upstairs. . .'  
  
Buffy let the passion take her for a minute, as she kissed him back, but then backed away. Admittedly, not too much though, letting herself stay in his arms.  
  
'I can't. . .I've got something to do tonight. . .' she said apologetically.  
  
'Patrol?' he asked with a puzzled look on his face. 'Because. . .you know you don't have to so often now. Or we could just send out Faith and Kennedy. . .'  
  
She shook her head. 'No, it's not patrolling. . .it's something else.'  
  
He stood back, finally letting go of her. 'What?'  
  
'Just some work stuff. . .' she avoided his gaze, realising at the last minute she was incapable of lying to him. He gave her an expression showing he wanted to know more.  
  
'I've gotta meet up with some new colleagues,' she made up on the spot. 'Just. . .talk over some things, y'know, boring. . .'  
  
'Do you want me to drive you?' he offered. She quickly declined.  
  
'No! No, it's really close by, I can walk.'  
  
'Alright. . .' he reluctantly walked away. 'What time will you be back?'  
  
'Oh, I dunno,' she waved her hand dismissingly. 'A couple of hours? If you need me, you can call me on my cell, I'm taking it with me.'  
  
He nodded. 'See you in a couple of hours then.' He walked into the other room.  
  
She grabbed her coat off the stand. 'I'm going out guys!' she called out. She opened the door, walked out, and quickly closed it behind her, before anybody could come and question where.  
  
Walking down the road, she felt tears streaming down her face. She wiped them away instantly. Why was she crying? She was going to earn a lot more money; she just had to fight some loser she'd beaten the other night. No big.  
  
But she thought back to Dawn's hurt face. . .to Spike's disappointment. . .and she couldn't stand it. Why did things have to be so difficult? Why was it the only job she could get - and keep - was one that required her to unnecessarily fight. . .and lie to those around her?  
  
But she needed to get the income rolling in, what with Dawn going to college soon, and everybody else in the household having measly jobs that barely brought in enough food for the week. She was only thinking of their welfare. . .so surely she could be excused for telling a little white lie?  
  
She fought back the fear, the pain, as she tried to gain enough strength to get ready and fight Kate the Great once again.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: Next up. . .Buffy's fight gets relived, but with some unusual changes. . .and the gang manage to discover Buffy's secret. REVIEW!!! 


	10. They Know Her So Well

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer - it all belongs to Joss Whedon.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just a couple of chapters to go. . .watch this space! Review!  
  
Chapter 10  
  
As she arrived at the familiar steps, descended them, and reached the door like last night, she knocked. The slot slid open, and she could hear the man breathe in on the other side, ready to speak. But before he could say anything, she flashed the card at him, and he simply opened the door, asking no questions.  
  
Buffy walked into the wrestling arena, glancing around, seeing the crowd. It seemed that everybody had heard of Kate's defeat the previous night, because all the banners supporting her were gone. Instead, all banners carried slogans supporting her own name. Apparently, word had gotten around Buffy was going to fight again tonight.  
  
She made her way to the back, the way she had been shown last night, trying to remain unnoticed, and sure enough ended up in the changing rooms. It was quite funny to parallel the two experiences at this place, especially at this point; yesterday, at that moment, Buffy had been laughed at by the other wrestlers. But today, the women were cowering away from her, or looking up in awe.  
  
Buffy tried to ignore it, frowning, turning away from anybody that looked at her, but couldn't. Suddenly, someone stood, blocking her way, and she stopped walking abruptly.  
  
It was her boss, Mr. Cooper.  
  
'Buffy!' he yelled, so that anybody that hadn't been looking at her before now was. 'Glad you could make it. Ready for the ring?'  
  
She nodded reluctantly. She felt so deflated - the night before she'd had more energy, why was it that now all she wanted to do was crawl into bed?  
  
Mr. Cooper led her to a different separate changing room than the one she'd been to before. 'Here you are. Feeling confident?'  
  
She smiled politely. 'Hmm. . .ish.'  
  
'Ish?!' he gave her a disbelieving look. 'Buffy, you're the talk of this place! The new champion! Everybody loves you - of course you're confident! Now, go in there and get changed. Somebody will be back here to fetch you in 10 minutes.'  
  
She nodded grimly. Ugh, why was she so miserable? She tried to think of all the things that uplifted her. . .but the first things she thought of were her friends, and that just made her feel even worse.  
  
She opened the wardrobe, and this time had a different costume. It was just as tight as the other one, except this was horrible bright purple with a yellow lightning bolt across the front.  
  
'Oh God, I'm gonna look like goddamn Harry Potter,' she muttered to herself.  
  
She put it on, and glanced at herself in the mirror. For some reason, she couldn't bear to stare at her own reflection, and turned away.  
  
'Hey, champion girl!' A greasy man with a toothpick in his mouth popped his head into the changing room. 'You ready?'  
  
Was it possible it had already been 10 minutes? 'Yeah, I am,' she replied, as he led her to the ring to once again confront what had probably become known as her arch-nemesis - Kate the Great.  
  
'And now. . .' the same voice that had boomed the other night was doing it again. 'The fight I'm sure you've all been waiting for. . .' the crowd cheering got louder as Buffy reached the very edge of the ring.  
  
'A re-match in some eyes - in others, just a repeat of a great fight. In the red corner, our former champion, Kate the Great!'  
  
Buffy saw her enemy from the night before. She looked even fiercer. . .even more monstrous. . .it was too hard to believe. She looked ready to fight a huge animal, not just a puny Slayer.  
  
'And in the blue corner. . .a girl who blew us all away last night. Our new champion. . . Buffy!'  
  
The crowd roared with whistles, cheers, and any other loud noise to show their support. Buffy took a quick glance at Kate's face, and could see it was one of great envy. This was the support Kate used to have, and it had been stolen from her in just one night. By some little puny tramp. . .  
  
The two girls stared at each other in the ring, awaiting the signal to fight.  
  
'I think you ladies know the rules,' called out the referee. '3, 2, 1. . .fight!'  
  
He stepped out of the ring, and even though that barrier wasn't there anymore, neither of them seemed to want to approach each other.  
  
'Well, little girl. . .' Kate began, trying to maintain confidence. 'You're back for more. You think you can beat me again - but I can tell you right now that yesterday was a total fluke.'  
  
'Look, whatever, OK?' Buffy didn't want to beat around the bush. She'd win this fight, get the money, and have it over and done with. She could get back to her friends without them suspecting anything, and get back to work the next day, with all this behind her. 'Talking is a pathetic way of stalling. You're just too afraid to fight me.'  
  
Kate made a face. 'You think so, blondie?' She punched one fist into her palm. 'Then let's get it on, and see who's afraid.'  
  
Buffy rolled her eyes at the cliché.  
  
Kate had been slowly approaching Buffy, and all of a sudden grabbed her left arm. She twisted it around, and Buffy wanted to cry out with the immense pain, but managed to hold it in. Kate didn't let go, but held the arm in place. 'It hurts, doesn't it?' she whispered. Buffy was wincing, as she tried to collect up enough strength to do something.  
  
But she didn't need to. Before she knew what was going on, Kate let go of Buffy's arm, grabbing her own head, and crouching down. Buffy looked down at the figure, confused - what was going on?  
  
But Kate recovered and stood up, attempting to grab at Buffy's arm again. But the Slayer was too quick, grabbing her opponent's arm this time, and doing a powerful side-kick into her stomach.  
  
This was like a way serving in badminton. You hold the shuttlecock until the last second, then you let go just as your racket hits it, and it goes flying. In this case, Kate had been the shuttlecock and Buffy had been the racket, letting go of Kate's arm as soon as she'd felt an impact with her foot on her enemy's stomach. Kate flew backwards in pain, and ended up sitting on the floor of the ring.  
  
'You having fun?' Buffy said roughly, looking down on the wrestling demon. 'You want more?' Buffy was being as vicious and cruel as Kate had been herself the other night. But she wasn't aware what this fight was doing to her.  
  
Kate's face seemed to be getting ready for a comeback, but her face just contorted, and something happened to her eyes. They went. . .soft.  
  
'I surrender!' Kate managed to cry out. And her voice seemed to be changing. Where was that deep throated confidence?  
  
Kate crawled out the ring, a man leading her to the changing rooms, as the crowd cheered for Buffy, waving their banners and placards at her.  
  
"What was that about?" Buffy thought. It didn't seem like Kate to give up like that (admittedly, Buffy had only fought Kate once, but it didn't seem like someone who was an ultimate champion to surrender so easily). Buffy could hear some voices in the crowd, she could hear the referee shouting her name, but she didn't care.  
  
She jumped out of the ring, over the ropes. Something had just happened to the supposed demon, and she was going to find out what, whatever it took.  
  
She made her way to Kate's changing room.  
  
**********  
  
Meanwhile, back at the house, Willow and Faith were sharing the fact that they had basketball tickets to the rest of the gang around a bowl of chips.  
  
'Hey, not bad. . .' Xander said, taking a look at what seats they'd bought. 'This'll be great, right sweetie?' He showed them to Anya.  
  
'I never understood the need of watching a bunch of men get sweaty around a ball. I mean, in my years as a vengeance demon, there were SO many women who looked for vengeance on their husbands or boyfriends because,' she imitated the women, '"he loves baseball more than me", or "he'd rather go to the soccer game than spend time with me" or blah blah blah. You simply get fed up!'  
  
The rest of them sat staring at her, as she grabbed a chip proudly. 'But, yeah, it'll be great!' she said, tapping Xander gently on the cheek.  
  
Faith had a bemused expression on her face. She leaned over and whispered to Willow: 'Man, she's got issues. And coming from me - that's saying something.' Willow nodded.  
  
'So where'd Buffy go?' Kennedy asked the group in general to see if anyone knew.  
  
'Uh, she had a work thing.' Spike explained.  
  
'What kind of work thing?' Willow asked concerned.  
  
'I dunno. . .she said she had to meet up with some of her colleagues or something. . .' he took a chip from the bowl.  
  
'Already? After her first day of work?' Dawn asked, interested. Spike shrugged.  
  
'I guess. . .'  
  
Faith's eyes widened. 'I don't think so.' They all looked at her quizzically.  
  
'Going out at night to meet up with colleagues after one day? Don't you think that's slightly bizarre?'  
  
'Well. . .maybe her job's difficult,' said Xander. 'Y'know, she needs more explained to her and that. . .'  
  
'No,' Spike suddenly said.  
  
Xander bent over, looking at Spike. '"No"?'  
  
'Her job's not difficult, she told me herself. She said it was surprisingly easy.'  
  
'Then why else would she go out with work people?' Kennedy asked, noticing they were about to uncover something.  
  
'She didn't.' Spike said simply. 'She lied to us.'  
  
'She can't have!' Dawn cried. 'We're her family. . .her friends. She wouldn't do that. . .' 'Except she would,' said Willow eventually. 'The way we were telling her to "stay away from danger". . .of course she'd go right to it.'  
  
'We were being way too over-protective,' Kennedy agreed. 'She thought if she told us where she was really going, we'd stop her.'  
  
'Which means it's somewhere dangerous,' Xander concluded.  
  
'Did she take her cell?' Willow asked eagerly.  
  
'Yeah,' Spike answered grimly. Willow picked up the phone and started dialling the number.  
  
How could Buffy lie to him? He loved her so much, he couldn't lose her. . .he felt tears well up in his eyes at the thought of her not trusting him, but built up enough strength to hold them back, even though he felt heartbroken.  
  
'No answer. . .' Willow said. She put the phone down. 'What now?'  
  
'You guys realise you could be fussing over nothing,' Anya reminded them.  
  
'Anya, we all know Buffy well enough to know she's somewhere else,' Xander explained to his wife. 'We've gotta find her. Any suggestions?' He looked around at the group hopefully, clasping his hands together.  
  
'I say the wrestling place from last night,' Faith said. 'Perhaps her boss asked her to fight again tonight.'  
  
'Good idea, Faith,' Willow stood up. 'Everybody, arm yourselves,' she sighed. 'We're going to watch some wrestling.'  
  
**********  
  
A/N: Next up. . .the secret behind Kate comes out, but will Buffy be able to defeat what's behind all this on her own? 


	11. Cunning Disguises

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer - it all belongs to Joss Whedon.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the penultimate chapter, which I hope you will enjoy. I'd really appreciate feedback, so please review.  
  
Chapter 11  
  
Buffy went through the corridor of changing rooms. Nobody knew she had come here, even though she was positive somebody had to be looking for her.  
  
She reached a door that was labelled 'Kate' and the words 'the Great' were scribbled by it in marker pen. Kate actually had her own changing room - how long had she been fighting here?  
  
Buffy heard a voice through the door. A man's voice. She put her ear against it to hear better.  
  
'Ugh, it's all his fault. And yours - haven't you learned to fight yet you wimp?'  
  
There was a whimpering sound heard, and then footsteps. Buffy stood back behind the door, ready to hide if anyone came out.  
  
'Oh, stop your whining!' the man's voice cried out again. The doorknob turned, and an unknown person - probably a trainer or similar - emerged. He shut the door behind him, and walked down the corridor with his back to where Buffy was standing. She peered at him curiously, memorising his face and shape.  
  
She opened the door to Kate's changing room silently, and without looking inside, closed it behind her. When she turned around, she received a huge shock.  
  
There was a woman lying, sobbing on the floor in a corner. But it wasn't Kate - it couldn't have been - this woman was small, weak, pathetic. . .  
  
The woman looked up, tears in her eyes, cheeks swollen red with crying, and she gasped. 'No, don't look at me!' her voice was gentle but gritty. 'You can't look at me like this!'  
  
Buffy's cold heart suddenly melted away, as she knelt down to see the woman's face.  
  
'Please. . .I'm here to help you. Who are you? Who's been hurting you?'  
  
The woman looked right at Buffy with her soft, deep eyes. 'Don't you recognise me?'  
  
Buffy drew back as she realised who this woman really was.  
  
It was Kate the Great.  
  
'But. . .how?' she looked away thinking. 'Just 5 minutes ago you were strong and muscular and. . .' she turned back to Kate. '. . .how?'  
  
Kate shook her head frantically. 'No, no! I couldn't possibly say. . .'  
  
'Are you a demon?' Buffy asked upfront. The woman stopped shaking her head, and just sat there.  
  
'I don't know,' she eventually said. 'I thought when I started working and my boss invited me out, I was doing well. Then he started to do things to me. . .and I changed. A demon? Is that what you'd call me?'  
  
Buffy stepped out of the tense moment for a second. 'Oh, please don't tell me you don't know about demons. . .'  
  
'He doesn't call me a demon,' she replied dreamily. 'He calls me his champion. Or at least he used to. Now, he never talks to me - especially considering you're his new champion. . .' She stood up. 'He doesn't feel the need to make an effort on me anymore.'  
  
'Who is this guy?' Buffy demanded. 'You have to tell me, he's hurting you. . .'  
  
'Well, Ms. Summers. . .' a voice spoke from behind Buffy. She spun around.  
  
It was Mr. Cooper.  
  
**********  
  
Buffy stepped back a few steps. 'Sir!' she exclaimed.  
  
'I understand the need to go and gloat to your opponent about winning,' he reasoned. 'But right now that's simply unacceptable.'  
  
'Have you anything to do with this?' Buffy, ignoring what he'd just said, pointed to Kate, who had now backed into the wall.  
  
'So she hasn't blabbed?' her boss sounded surprised. 'I'll tell you, she's a pretty good fighter, but otherwise completely useless. . .the only way I could shut her up was to keep her here permanently.'  
  
Buffy scowled at him. 'What have you been doing to her?'  
  
Mr. Cooper smiled pleasantly. 'I must ask, are you on some kind of drug-  
  
'Don't change the subject,' Buffy warned.  
  
'I guess that's fair.' He paced around the small changing room. 'So you're not on drugs. But you have some kind of power, I'm sure of it. What are you - demon? Witch? Goddess? You can't be a vampire, I've seen you in daylight. . .'  
  
'So you're informed on the supernatural,' Buffy concluded. "Or totally natural when it comes to my world," she added in her head. 'Is it a spell? Pumping her up with magickal strength, are we?'  
  
'No, nothing like that,' he shook his head. 'I'm unique. I do it my own way. We still haven't covered what you are though. . .'  
  
'Slayer - get it already!' Buffy tried to get back to the issue at hand.  
  
'Ah, of course.' He nodded in acknowledgement. 'There has been quite an increase of those in the past year, hasn't there? When did you become. . .?'  
  
'I was the One.' Buffy answered simply. 'Or, I guess I should say one of the two. . .but before there were two, there was One. And that was me.'  
  
He seemed mildly impressed. 'How interesting. . .so you're the great one. I didn't expect that. So - I must ask - how did you destroy the Hellmouth? You couldn't have done it all on your own, could you?'  
  
Buffy looked him in the eye. 'We're not talking about me; we're talking about what you're doing. . .'  
  
'Who helped you?'  
  
Buffy froze, as she felt a lump rise in her throat. 'My. . .my friends.'  
  
He seemed very pleased about this. 'Hmm. . .your friends. Where are they now?' he lifted his hands up, looking around. 'As far as I can tell, you're all alone.'  
  
Buffy tried to interrupt him, but he kept talking.  
  
'All on your own. . .just like a Slayer was meant to be.' He was encircling her. 'You think anything has changed, now that there are lots of you? Nothing has. You're still alone, and you always will be.'  
  
'You don't know anything about me!' Buffy fought back. She was getting furious.  
  
'I can smell it. . .the power you hold, yet the fear you have and just can't get rid of. . .'  
  
'Shut up!' Buffy shouted at him. He was still walking around her and making her dizzy. She closed her eyes, and covered her ears.  
  
'You can't admit that you're still scared. You have your love by your side, and yet you have to lie to him - and all those that care about you. Why, Buffy? Why do that? Don't you trust them? Haven't they always been there. . .?' He paused. Buffy could feel a tear rolling down her cheek, but kept her eyes shut tight. 'Where are they now? Now, when you really need them?'  
  
She opened her eyes, and found her setting had changed. She was back in the ring, but the crowd were gone. And Kate was gone. It was the same building, but it seemed different. 'It's time to fight your true fight. And all on your own,' he turned around, and when he faced her again, his expression had become monstrous. Buffy's eyes widened.  
  
He was huge - his colour a cross between maroon and green, and he was wrinkled, old. He had grown claws and hair all over his head. She was terrified - she couldn't get out of there, what was she going to do?  
  
'I gave her a temporary power,' he spoke, but his voice was deeper and shook her inside. 'It gave her strength, the ability to fight - an honorary demon, if you like. I just did it to make some money, not to mention how much I enjoyed torturing her all the time. . .but you - you were greater. You were going to be my new conquest. It would be more than just money and pain - with you it was grace and beauty when you fought. And I want to experience that.'  
  
He tore his suit off, which had already ripped when he had increased in size. 'I want you to fight me Buffy.' She stepped backwards, stunned. 'Of course, you'll die, but I couldn't let you go free now that you know my secret. Using you like Kate. . .it just doesn't seem right. It's dog eat dog right now - you'd kill me if I didn't kill you, right?'  
  
Buffy was frightened, more than she had been in a long time. How had this guy/demon known every fear she had felt? How could he prey on her like that? How could she defeat him when she had nobody there? She'd done it before, but now she just had no strength, his cruel words were echoing in her mind.  
  
Just as the monster tried to attack her, Buffy heard a British accent behind her that made her heart sigh with relief.  
  
'Oi - mate - step away from her. If you wanna get to her, you've got to go through us lot first.'  
  
Spike had talked, and was holding an axe. Sure enough, with him, were Xander, Anya, Willow, Kennedy, Dawn and Faith, all armed.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: In the last chapter. . .the gang are up against the boss, and then there are some emotional confrontations between Buffy and her friends. If you like this, please check out my ficlet 'A Bundle of Trouble?' with Anya and Spike having a kid, set as AU to Season 7. 


	12. At the End of the Day

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with Buffy the Vampire Slayer – it all belongs to Joss Whedon.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my final chapter. Thanks everybody for reading and reviewing – at the mo there are a couple of fics in the pipeline, but I won't post a while.  
  
Chapter 12  
  
Buffy didn't know she could be as happy as she was at the moment she saw all of them there. She didn't even care how they'd found her – it was just the fact that they had that comforted her tremendously.  
  
'Guys, this is my boss,' Buffy said, half-joking at the comment. 'Mr. Cooper, these are my friends that you keep telling me aren't here.' She looked at him triumphantly.  
  
'Gee Buff,' Xander said sarcastically. 'You forgot to mention your boss was a big reddish. . .demon-monster. . .thing.'  
  
'It must've slipped my mind,' Buffy replied. The gang all climbed into the ring, making a big group with the original Slayer. 'I'm sorry I lied guys,' she said apologetically to them all.  
  
'We're sorry we put so much pressure on you,' Kennedy apologised herself.  
  
'Now why don't we give this guy a little encore,' Buffy suggested, 'considering he missed the big showdown at the Hellmouth.' Without hesitation, they all charged for the demon who had been too surprised to speak in the last couple of minutes.  
  
As Dawn approached him, huge sword raised above her, the demon formerly known as Mr. Cooper slammed his fist into her, and she went flying backwards, falling with a thud at the edge of the ring.  
  
'Hey, that's my sister!' Buffy complained. 'Will – kick in the goddess magick mojo, will you?'  
  
Willow nodded, as she began muttering some Latin under her breath. The creature seemed to be weakening, and he crumpled down to his knees.  
  
'Xander, get the fire!' Buffy pointed to his chosen weapon – fire arrows. He lit them, and shot them right at the demon's head. It burnt for a few seconds, scarring it badly, but then stopped.  
  
'Faith, Kennedy – a little Slayer help!' Buffy called out. The three ran to him, kicking and punching any part of his body they could, trying to destroy their enemy.  
  
Anya had gone over to tend to Dawn (Anya's chosen weapon had been the First Aid Kit) and shouted at Spike. 'Spike – use the axe!'  
  
Faith punched the demon hard in the chest, and he went falling backwards towards Spike. The platinum-blonde ex-vampire swung his axe, and decapitated the demon in that moment.  
  
The arena was silent, as the gang panted. This one had been close, but they had managed to win, just like every other time.  
  
'I guess we're back in the swing of demon-things, huh?' Buffy wrapped up.  
  
**********  
  
After they'd killed the demon boss, they'd gone back to the changing rooms and found Kate. They'd taken her to the hospital, and continued home.  
  
Now they were all in pyjamas, drinking hot chocolate and tea, sitting around the coffee table.  
  
'How'd you feel Buffy?' asked Willow.  
  
Buffy shrugged. 'A mixture of tired, confused, annoyed. . .and stupid. I still can't believe I lied to you all like that.'  
  
'You could've gotten yourself killed,' Dawn informed.  
  
'I know, I feel like a moron. . .'  
  
'You can always tell us if something's wrong, Buff,' Xander offered kindly. 'We're your friends – it's what you pay us to do.' Buffy smiled.  
  
'It's just. . .you know what freaked me out most about that experience?' Buffy said to them all. 'He knew so much about me. . .about the way I felt. Deep down, all my fears. . .how could he just read me like that?'  
  
'A Claromentis demon,' Dawn told them out of the blue.  
  
Faith looked at the young girl confused. 'What?'  
  
'She means a mind-reader,' Anya unveiled. 'It's that demon's gift; they read the minds of their victims, and then prey on their greatest fears to weaken them. Classic technique.'  
  
'Dawn, you knew what it was?' Buffy was impressed. Dawn nodded.  
  
'You're becoming quite the demon-expert,' Xander said, rubbing Dawn's head.  
  
'Xander, quit it, you're making my hair all static!' she giggled.  
  
'Ah, if only the council was still going,' Kennedy mused. 'Our little Dawnie would make the perfect Watcher!' Dawn scowled at the Slayer.  
  
Buffy had noticed that during all this, Spike had been keeping quiet. She looked over at him now, staring down at his mug, apparently deep in thought.  
  
While everyone else was talking, Buffy stood up and tapped his shoulder. Without looking back, she walked into the corridor, waiting for him to reach her. Sure enough, he was there quickly.  
  
'What's wrong?' he asked her straight away.  
  
'Nothing,' Buffy said quickly. 'At least. . .nothing with me.' She frowned. 'Why do you have sulky-face?'  
  
'It's nothing. . .' he dismissed. 'I was just thinking.' He was looking down at the floor, and Buffy made herself shrink a bit so she could see his face. 'About what?'  
  
He shrugged. 'Things. . .between you and me.'  
  
Buffy took his hand and led him down the corridor, realising this was going to be a longer conversation than she had anticipated, and she sat herself down at an armchair, while Spike sat opposite.  
  
'Tell me about them,' she encouraged.  
  
He shook his head. 'It's just. . .it hurt.'  
  
She took one of his hands in hers. 'What did?'  
  
He took a deep breath. 'Look, before I say anything, I just want you to know that I love you with every fibre of my being.'  
  
She smiled warmly at hearing those words. 'I know.'  
  
There was a pause before he went on. 'You lied to me Buffy. And I'm not just talking about almost getting yourself killed like everybody else is. . .I'm talking about telling me a lie to my face. When we all worked it out, I tried to tell myself that you hadn't lied to me. . .that you trusted me, but I just couldn't. That fact remains, Buffy. And it's eating away at me.'  
  
Buffy looked down at the floor ashamed, but refused to let go of his hand. 'I can't tell you how sorry I am,' she answered honestly.  
  
'But that's just it,' he looked up at the ceiling. 'You can say sorry all you like,' he looked back at her. 'But you did it. And I fear you'll do it again.'  
  
'No!' she immediately said. 'Trust me, I learnt my lesson this time, never again will I lie to any of you.'  
  
'I want to believe you,' he said honestly.  
  
'Look. . .' she began to explain. 'The reason I lied is because I was scared. All of you just wanted to protect me, to get me out of danger, to not let me hurt myself. . .but all that kept going through my mind was the fact that we didn't have enough money, and this was a quick way of earning it. And I'm still scared by that. There's no way we can all live on our salaries, even if we put them all together.'  
  
'That's ridiculous!' he said, but not maliciously, more dismissively, telling her she didn't need to worry. 'It might not seem hopeful, but we'll get by, no matter what.'  
  
Buffy found herself crying. 'But we can't be sure of that! Everybody's saying it's all gonna be OK, but it won't!' she was sobbing, and Spike stood up from his chair, holding her in his arms.  
  
'So the reason I lied was really for the welfare of us all, not because I was being selfish,' Buffy excused feebly.  
  
'Shh,' Spike nodded, kissing her hair, not letting go of her. He rocked her gently.  
  
'I know your friends mean a lot to you – all them in there,' he pointed his head towards the living room. 'But I also know this. I trust you so that I feel I can tell you anything I'm feeling, anything I want – share my entire recently-received life with you. I just hope you feel the same way about me.'  
  
She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. She gazed into his, and saw such purity, such raw emotion, and she felt she knew her own self.  
  
'I do. I really do.'  
  
Drawn to her, he leaned in and kissed her, and she kissed him back. Despite all the doubt she had had earlier, in his arms, it all seemed to melt away.  
  
**********  
  
A/N: Again, I say THANK YOU to all those that bothered to keep reading, it means a lot. If you haven't seen my other stories, please check them out. Hope you all have a great Valentine's Day! Nat xxx 


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